


The Carousel Never Stops Turning

by BulletStrong



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/F, Happy Ending, Swan Queen - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-07
Updated: 2017-09-07
Packaged: 2018-12-14 04:01:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 7
Words: 28,555
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11775063
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BulletStrong/pseuds/BulletStrong
Summary: "Loss is inevitable. Yet we all knock on wood when we joke about death, like it's some far off impossibility, even though our chances of catastrophe are great. Emma was like that. Until this very moment. Because the plane crashed. The plane fucking crashed."Some say the odds of a plane crash are one in a million. Emma Swan and Regina Mills didn't think they'd ever be a part of that statistic. How naive, but that's how life happens. The big, scary, life changing stuff hits us hard when we're not looking or expecting it. That's perhaps the worst part.Swan Queen / Grey's Anatomy AU.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [The Carousel Never Stops [ART]](https://archiveofourown.org/works/11931288) by [bouquetemoji](https://archiveofourown.org/users/bouquetemoji/pseuds/bouquetemoji). 



> A huge thank you goes to the heads of this event! They put so much time and effort into making this happen. Also, thank you to my artist, who also put in so much of her time into her art. Thank you! Please take a look at her art -- link is above!And thanks to those that listened to me complain and brainstorm :)
> 
> I hope everyone enjoys this. I tried to improve my writing as much as I could while preparing for this and I really did as much research as I could in order to be respectful about amputation. Let me know if something isn't right and I'll try to fix it :) And please let me know what you think!

I'm sorry for your loss. 

That's what doctors are taught to tell the families of the patients that didn't make it. It's meaningless. The moment they hear those words, their world falls apart and flips on them, their hearts race, they want to wake up from the nightmare they're sure they must be having.

But loss is inevitable. Yet we all knock on wood when we joke about death, like it's some far off impossibility, even though our chances of catastrophe are great. We can cross the street to get to our car and get hit by a bus. We can trip over a piece of loose carpet and smash our head into a piece of furniture. We can piss off some drunk person at a bar and they land one solid punch. Human beings are not infallible. We're in constant danger, actually, but we feel so safe despite it all. We always believe we'll have a later, a tomorrow, a next birthday. Emma was like that until this very moment. Because the plane crashed. The plane fucking crashed.

~|SQ|~

But that's not where the story begins. This story begins where everything starts and ends for surgeons: at the hospital.

"Alright, lets close this mama up." Emma darts her eyes around the room as she smiles beneath her mask. Her nurses are laughing and dancing to the Disney music she always plays in her OR, at least until something goes wrong. But today is a success. "We're gonna give this kid her best chance. Do you know what a privilege this is, intern one and intern two?" 

"Hans and Anna, Doctor Swan." The nurse to her right supplies.

"Do you know what a privilege this is, Hans and Anna?" The two interns nod and Emma chuckles at their dazed expressions. First days always suck. "We gave this baby a chance to live. We gave her a chance to grow, to break skin while learning to ride a bike, to date, to maybe get married or have kids, to feel her heart beat at night when's she's laying in bed. We saved a life before she even came out of the womb. That is a privilege."

She shakes her head when all she gets in response is wide eyes and distress. "Anyway, lets get this mama comfortable in her room so I can go to town on a bear claw."

Emma likes to think she has this whole doctor thing down pat. She's good with the interns, empathetic toward her patients, and damn well amazing at fetal surgery. Not to brag or anything, but she's kind of a badass.

And badasses deserve all the bear claws they could stomach, which was a lot of bear claws. Even the cafeteria ladies smirk when they see her coming their way. "I'm feeling spontaneous, Granny. Hit me with two bear claws."

"I'm not sure how you're still standing with the amount of sugar you consume." Emma smirks at the comment. This was her favorite part of the day.

"What can I say? I love eating sugar and getting some sugar. Any recommendations on what else I could eat, Mills?" Regina Mills was the drop dead gorgeous cardio surgeon that was at least kinda gay, even if she was adamant about keeping her private life away from the hospital, and totally flirted with Emma every time they were in the same room. 

"That's absolutely crude, Swan."

"Yet you're smiling real wide there, Mills." Regina takes an apple from the basket by the cashier to have a hearty bite. Emma never wanted to be a fruit more than she did in this moment. 

"I'm laughing at you, Emma. Not with you." With a wink, Regina turns and walks away, her hips swaying dramatically. Emma can't stop the loud groan that springs from her chest. 

"You two are disgusting to watch." Granny chuckles as she pops the two bear claws into a brown bag. "Put us all out of our misery and ask her out already." 

"Relax, Granny." Emma pats the counter confidently. "This is the tentative, flirty friendship stage of the friends to lovers trope. You just gotta let it happen."

"Whatever you say." Granny extends the bag to Emma and gives her a pat on the hand that grabs it. "Tell Ruby that Victor Whale is a dud and she deserves better."

"Huh?" Emma incredulously stutters as she rips napkins from the holder. "You tell her. She never listens to me. In fact, she won't listen to any of us. Just let this little fling run its course."

"Emma!" The topic of conversation sidles up to the counter and Granny coughs. Ruby smiles, oblivious. "Hey, Granny. What are today's specials?" 

Emma gives Granny a meaningful look, making the older woman sigh, then turns toward the table tops. "I'm gonna go sit." 

She walks toward the tables and spots Snow and David Charming, the most sought after anesthesiologists around these parts and the dullest couple to have ever existed. They're so happy all the time. It's nauseating. Plus, they treat their dog like it's their newborn. For an orphan with commitment issues, they were everything Emma wanted as a kid and everything that makes her uncomfortable as an adult, but they're kind hearted and helped Emma out by letting her crash at their place when she first moved to Storybrooke to follow her foster brother, August, so she pushes down the discomfort and tries to be as friendly as possible. 

"Hey, Emma. How was your surgery?" David asks sweetly. Emma sits down across from the couple and smiles lightly. David kisses Snow's hand and Emma barely resists the urge to projectile vomit at the corny gesture.

"It went well. The baby and mama came out the other side just fine." The couple nods in unison, smiling genuinely. David shoots her a thumbs up. Snow opens her mouth to say something else but Ruby suddenly drops into her seat dramatically and growls.

"Granny never approves of the guys I date. I swear, I can't do right by her!" Emma shoots an exasperated look Granny's way. The older woman scowls, sensing the 'I told you so' in Emma's expression, and shrugs as she tosses Chicken Marsala onto a plate. Those two never learn.

Snow starts to reassure Ruby about her relationship with Victor, though Emma finds it ridiculous since they all know Snow is pawning the man onto her friend so that he'd leave her alone. Emma ignores the entire debacle in favor of slipping her bear claw from its bag and taking a nice bite. She closes her eyes and groans in delight. She hears David's chuckle and smiles. He doesn't comment on her obsession with pastry, but does change the topic.

"So have you heard about the Siamese twins separation operation going down down in Texas? Apparently Gold is going to select a few of the heads of surgery to go over and help the small hospital with the surgery since they're understaffed and unprepared." 

"Whoa, seriously? Cause I'm so down." Ruby shoots David and Emma glares, not happy that her issue was dismissed. Emma can't find it in her to care, because she just might get to be involved in the buried treasure of surgical procedures. David nods then smirks conspiratorially.

"Rumor has it that you were named, Swan." Emma's on the verge of losing her shit and shoves a piece of bear claw into her mouth to muffle the excited screech that flies from her lips. 

Across the room, Regina Mills stares amusedly, not that she can hear what's being said or why Emma Swan looks like a kid in a candy store. Her look must soften too much because she hears an amused sigh from her sister.

"Regina, my god, please get that love sick look away from me." Zelena smirks in that condescending way that makes Regina's blood boil. They have a rocky relationship, ever since they met a few years ago and realized their mother had ruined both their lives. Zelena has her moments of jealousy and Regina feels defensive and slightly affronted that Zelena never attempts to see how horrible it was to be raised by Cora Mills. They're nowhere near being traditional sisters, but things were improving, becoming less frigid with time.

"I wouldn't talk if I were you. You and that Australian book worm are almost as bad as the Un-Charming's over there." Zelena falters and Regina takes some pleasure in that.

"Belle and I are just friends." Regina hums, making sure to make it nice and condescending. Zelena huffs and stabs at her salad with enough ferocity to make an olive fly out of the container and across the table. 

"You two are like children on a playground." Marian adds when the silence stretches a little too long. She thanks every god out there that she's an orthopedic surgeon that spends all day breaking bones because being in the middle of these two sisters was stressful and she needed some form of release. It wasn't like she'd get it from a man, considering she avoided relationships like the plague. Though Regina has argued that sex was not a relationship, Marian found she wasn't ready to put herself out there in any way.

"She started it." Regina mutters.

~|SQ|~

The email from Chief Gold comes as a surprise to many, a welcomed surprise for most but not Regina. Not that a surgery so rare wasn't entertaining or satisfying to be involved in, she just didn't want to leave her patient, a orphaned boy named Henry that was awaiting a new heart.

"You should go, Regina. It's probably super cool!" Henry purses his lips and looks at the backs of the cards in Regina's hand. He plucks the one on the far left, turns it over to look, and cries out, "Aw, come on! I got Old Maid!"

Regina smiles brightly at his pout, "I told you I'm good at this game. I have the best poker face."

"You avoided the first part." Henry lifts a brow and grins. "Cutting two people apart is probably a special thing, right?"

"It's rare, yes." Henry lifts his hand and Regina picks a card. She doesn't get Old Maid.

"And you're the best at this doctor stuff, right?"

"That's arguable, but many would say I am." Regina plucks out the pairs in her deck and throws them into the center pile.

"So then you have to go! They need you, just like I'll need you when I get my heart." 

They don't talk about it any longer, mostly because Regina doesn't like to think of the day that she has to let Henry go, has to watch him be taken away to a foster home where she has no idea if his well being is nourished and protected. 

They play until Regina lets Henry win.

~|SQ|~

They're loading into the private jet the next morning. Regina and Zelena are playing Old Maid, mostly because it's the only game where Regina can beat her sister without having to cheat in some manner. Emma is sitting at the back of the plane with August, who's the best plastic surgeon on the east coast. Regina's eyes linger on Emma's tight fitting scrubs.

"You're not being subtle." Marian whispers as she sets her bag down next to the free seat beside Regina.

"When it comes to the Swan, she never is." Zelena begins to chuckle but swallows it when she sees Belle French enter the vessel and throw a sweet smile her way. Regina props her chin on her hand and snorts, which earns her a glare from her sister. 

"Hello, everyone. I am Robin Hood and I'll be your pilot this evening. Please get comfortable. We'll take off in five minutes." 

They take off shortly after and each doctor relaxes into their seat, having a quiet moment before heading into a long, complicated surgery. The flight is smooth.

Until it isn't.

~|SQ|~

The first thing she hears is incessant ringing, an all consuming sound that makes her cringe and grit her teeth. The first thing she sees is the clouds framed by leaves and bark, and for a minute she lays there, feeling weightless and calm. Then the ringing stops and she hears her world crashing down, a bone chilling scream and muffled sobs. For a minute she just listens in her dazed state and hears fire crackling, distressed beeping, and that scream. Finally, it makes her startle.

"Regina! Oh god, are you okay? Oh my god!" She turns to stare into her best friends eyes and sees the panic shining in those brown irises. She jolts back from Marian, her arms flailing to catch onto anything solid, that can ground her. Instead Marian grips her hand fiercely while shaking Regina gently, almost like she's afraid to break her. "Regina, please say something!"

Regina feels a cough crawl up her windpipe and she barely stutters, "What happened?"

Marian begins to cry silently, tears just rolling down her cheeks and falling onto Regina's chin. She briefly notices that her arm is pulsating with pain but it's more of an ache and she quickly gears her focus back to her friend, who looks disheveled. Marian is coated in thick black soot and... is that blood?

"What happened?" Regina repeats with more urgency and strength. The screaming is back and Regina grimaces at its high pitch and agony. Marian turns to look past Regina's head and her eyes widen slightly, but she returns her gaze to Regina and informs her that she'll be right back. "Don't move."

She's left staring at the clouds and trees once more. She stares and stares and stares, until she feels those familiar hands shaking her shoulders again. "Regina, do you think you can sit up? Does anything hurt or feel sore?"

She absentmindedly responds, "My arm, the elbow, is achy. I-I'm okay."

"Nothing is okay." Regina flinches at the response but Marian just pulls her shoulders toward her torso, bringing her into a sitting position. She finally sees it. The plane is ripped in half, with cords and metal and wire hanging from each side, electricity sparking, a small fire raging near the tail of the plane.

"Oh." Regina breathlessly whispers. "Oh, the plane."

"Yes, the plane." Marian's crying again, but this time its invading her speech, making it wobbly and disjointed. It makes Regina's eyes burn but she bites her tongue until she tastes copper. Then it registers that they weren't alone on that plane and Regina almost lets out a scream that's muffled by the urge to vomit.

"Where's my sister? Where's Zelena?" She repeats until Marian grips her hair at the nape of her neck and pulls until Regina is looking her in the eye. The answer she finds in those eyes cause her windpipe to make room for the scream that echoes across the dense forest. It's ugly and deep, and Regina feels like she can't stop. Her throat is raw, and Marian plasters her tan hand against Regina's mouth.

"You have to come with me. Zelena needs you." Marian jumps up and limps over to check on a lump on the ground, and Regina shakes her head to clear her vision.

"I can't feel my leg." A voice cries out, the tone exuding pure terror. "Is it still there? Is my leg still there, Marian?"

She turns to find the source of the voice and she freezes, feeling horror radiate throughout her entire body. "Emma?"

The blonde turns her gaze to Regina and smiles unevenly, with no true happiness pulling at her lips. She finds relief peering at her in those green eyes. "Oh, Regina. You're okay?"

"Physically, yes." Emma can't say the same. The blondes leg is still attached but it's blue and mangled, and Regina knows that Emma is going to lose that limb. She feels panic rise in gut, because nothing is okay. Everything has changed. Marian is stroking Emma's hair, whispering false assurances, and Emma knows that her life will never be the same. 

Regina can't take her eyes away from the leg trapped under the thick piece of metal. She feels Marian pulling on her bicep and she lets her drag her away from Emma, even though her heart drops at the thought of leaving Emma there alone, afraid and unsure. They walk as quickly as they can until they come into a clearing, where she first sees Belle kneeling in front of the planes detached wing. Then Belle shifts to look at them, pulling her away to the side, and that's when she sees her. 

"Zelena." The sob is loud and uncontainable, because her sister's body is divided in two, being held together by the thing that tore it apart. Nothing is okay. 

Zelena has blood dripping from the corner of her mouth, marring her alabaster skin, and she looks resigned to the fact that she isn't getting out alive. Regina crawls to her and cups her sisters face in her hands before leaning down to place a shaky kiss on her sweat drenched forehead. When Zelena throws her a small smile, Regina wants to scream again, but Belle's hand grips Zelena's hands fiercely and smiles back. 

"Well, dramatic in life, dramatic in death, right?" Zelena coughs out before grinning weakly. Regina cries harder. "Can I talk to Regina alone, please?"

Belle hesitantly obeys, taking Marian's hand and walking back to check on Emma. Zelena sighs deeply, the grin wobbling and fading slowly as her eyes fill with tears. It was startling for Regina. Her sister was the stronger, more flippant one of them two, though Regina hadn't known her long as Zelena had been put up for adoption and they only reconnected within the last few years. She's never seen her sister shed a tear, lead alone look ready to breakdown. Though if any situation warranted it, Regina had to agree that this was it.

"You know, this situation is like the beginning of a really bad joke. Six doctors board a plane, yada, yada." A snort sounds and Regina hates that her sister managed to make her laugh right now, even with blood coating her mouth and metal piercing her abdomen. "Don't ever stop doing that."

"What?"

"Smiling. Laughing. Don't stop doing that when I'm gone." Regina whispers a plea for her to stop but Zelena grabs her hand. "I'm not going to make it, Regina, and I need you to hear what I have to say."

"I don't need to hear it. You're going to be fine and--"

"Regina--"

"We wasted so much time!" Regina yells exasperatedly. "We finally found each other and we spent our time being angry, spiteful, jealous. We wasted that time and we won't have any time to make it up, to actually be sisters. So you'll live, for me. Please. We're not done yet."

"You're a doctor, Regina. Hell, you don't have to be one to see that this spells doom, especially when we have no damn clue where we are or when we'll be found, if we are." Zelena groans as gravity causes the plane wing to sink lower, but she coughs and straightens. "So, you'll listen to me."

They're silent for a second and Zelena shakily exhales. "You should take risks. You've planned very part of your life and you live in your comfort zone. You don't let anyone in or let anyone get close. Stop that. Go sky diving, fall in love, make more friends, go on vacation, stay home from work and eat ice cream until you vomit, cuddle with someone that loves you. Your walls are so high that you don't truly let anyone in, not even me or Marian. Bring them down, just a little, and let someone see you, because you are unique and special. Take off the mask and show someone who Regina Mills really is. For me. Drop that snappish routine and let people see you."

Zelena reaches out and Regina immediately holds the hand to her chest. 

"Find someone that gives you the best orgasms," Regina snorts when Zelena manages to weakly waggle her eyebrows. "Find someone that makes you feel strong. Find someone that's your equal. Don't let our mother dictate who that someone is. You decide who's right, who's wrong and who's the one you choose."

The two sisters let the sentiment echo into the woods around them. Zelena squeezes the hand holding hers and smiles softly. It's the most gentle Regina has ever seen her sister be and it angers her to think that she will never get to explore this side of the red head. Regina lowers her torso so that their foreheads rest against each other's. Regina whispers, "I'll be with you until you go."

Zelena replies, "No. I can't let go with you here. Please, go check on the others. Tell them I said thank you for their friendship, even if I rejected their attempts every step of the way."

"I don't want to leave you." Regina's words are punctuated by birds chirping happily, an absolute contrast to the severity of the situation at hand. 

"This is beautiful, truly." It seems Zelena wants to say more but her chest lurches and the words get trapped in her throat. The sentiment, though, floats around them as the birds continue to sing and the breeze cools their skin. They hear a crunching of mulch signaling the return of one of their friends. 

"Zelena?" Belle kneels next to Regina and Regina smiles sadly at her. Zelena scratches her nails lightly against Regina's chest and her eyes tell Regina it's time to go, to accept her sisters wish. 

She turns to Belle, "Please, don't leave her alone."

Belle wipes at her eyes quickly and sucks in a breath before nodding jerkily. The Australian neurosurgeon shifts closer to Zelena then lays down softly next to the red head. She snakes her arm over Zelena's chest and places her head in the empty spot above the other woman's shoulder. When Regina lets go of Zelena's bloodied hand, it falls to Belle's shoulder and grips hard, trying to find stability in the soft body. 

As Regina walks back toward the plane, she hears Belle crying while trying to hum a calming tune. She hears, "This is quite lovely, really. Quite lovely."

She feels her chest constrict painfully and she almost doubles over. Zelena had spent the morning teasing Regina over her crush on the fetal surgeon who was most likely going to lose her leg. Marian had begrudgingly signed up on a dating site on the plane and Zelena had laughed until she cried. Regina, just that morning, found herself staring at her sister with hope in her heart for a better, less scathing tomorrow. 

But as she stares at Emma Swan--the woman who gives babies their best chance--crying into the dirt beneath her, Regina feels all hope die. Emma is the doctor that hugs her patients, the woman that would give you the shirt off her back, the person that plays Disney music in her OR and knows all of the nurses by name. Emma Swan is the epitome of kindness and she was sobbing as the world literally crashed down on her. She wanted to shout into a void about the injustice of it all. 

Emma notices her but presses her palms into her eyes and just shakes. She hears Marian's voice sound from somewhere near by but she can't face her, not when she's so close to breaking.


	2. Chapter 2

"This is so fucked up!" Emma shouts angrily as she pounds her fist into the side of the plane. It breaks skin, but the blonde isn't deterred. "August! August, come back!" 

Regina freezes, because August Booth had been on the plane but she had yet to see him anywhere. She twists to check all areas around her and there's no orthopedic surgeon in sight. She joins Emma in calling out his name, but no reply from the man is forthcoming. The clouds start to fade to grey, threatening rain, and Emma becomes more desperate. "He could be really hurt and alone. Someone needs to find him. August!" 

Regina kneels next to Emma and scans the blonde for any other injury. Emma hisses when Regina squeezes her elbow. When she lifts the scrub sleeve, the joint is severely bruised, perhaps dislocated. Emma pleads, "Regina, please find him. He's all I've got."

She sits and contemplates her next move. The forest seems dense and Regina has no sense of direction, so she could easily get lost traversing through the terrain in search of the man, but Emma's eyes are wide and pleading, and she feels like she has to assist. The man obviously means a great deal to the Emma. Before she can truly make up her mind, she nods.

She walks to the left of the plane, heads straight for about ten minutes, then turns back until she reaches Emma. She informs the blonde of her progress then repeats the action for every direction. She comes up empty each time. When she returns the fifth time, Emma sighs heavily and pats the ground beside her. As Regina takes the offered seat, Emma quirks her lip and murmurs, "Thanks for trying."

They sit and listen to the fire crackle alongside Marian's quiet tones. Regina asks, "What is she doing?"

Emma smiles, genuinely this time, and replies, "I think she's crushing on the pilot. He's trapped in his seat by the seat belt and she's been in there flirting with him, even if she refuses to call it flirting."

Regina can't help but chuckle quietly, but Emma stares at her and must sense something is amiss because she utters, "Where is everyone else? Are they lost too?"

This sobers her up immediately and Emma frowns worriedly. Regina shakes her head in reply and tries to check Emma again for injuries when the blonde grabs her hands and looks at her pointedly. Regina clears her throat before she answers. "Zelena is hurt, incapacitated, and stubborn. Belle is keeping her company until... until she's gone."

"She doesn't want you to see her die." Regina nods slowly. It shouldn't surprise her. Zelena usually hates being vulnerable, especially with her. Of course, today was the first time Zelena showed any affection for her, but Belle had been the only person to break through her sisters walls and it took Belle years and a lot of patience, something Regina did not possess. "I could say I'm sorry for your loss but I know that's meaningless. So what do you need?"

Regina quirks a brow at the question and snorts. "I should be asking you that."

"I need a distraction and I think you might need that too." A rain drop lands on Emma's chest and Regina watches it roll down until it puddles in the indentation of Emma's collarbone. She stares at the creamy skin and fights the urge to place her head right beneath Emma's chin. "Tell me about you and Zelena."

She almost instinctively declines the request but she thinks about a plea and dripping blood. "I was raised as an only child. My mother wasn't the best mother, but she tried. It just was..."

"Not enough?"

"Too much." Regina puffs out an irritated chuckle. "My mother was overbearing and controlling. She did what she thought was best for me without asking me what I thought was best for me. That's how it always was. She owned half of the hospital so she decided I'd be a doctor. I guess Zelena did her research on our mother and spent her entire life trying to become someone Cora Mills would be proud of. So that when she found the courage to confront her, she'd be accepted."

"So your mom gave Zelena away?" Regina nods. Something in Emma shifts. She feels a hand grab hers and squeeze. "Oh."

Regina hears complexities in that simple breathy word and her own curiosity is peaked. Her blonde colleague was so emotionally closed off. Most knew her exterior, the fun loving doctor that could befriend even infants, but who was Emma Swan? She mentally bookmarks that and continues distracting Emma, or at least that's what she's calling it because she can't truly believe she's opening up. 

"Zelena was the product of an affair my mother had right after she married my father. She led my father to believe the baby was his but that they couldn't keep the child, that the baby would hold them back from pursuing the careers they desired." The truth of the matter was that Cora cared little about what Henry wanted. Even if he had wanted to object, Zelena would have been thrown away, as if she were an obstacle in the way of her mothers ostentatious dreams. Her father was too afraid of his own wife to speak up for that child, just like he never spoke up for Regina. Though Regina held no malice toward him. He had been a sweet, but meek man, seemingly powerless under the thumb of Cora Mills. It seemed to be a theme among the family.

"Zelena was always so... interesting." Regina laughs at Emma's hesitation and the blonde smirks mischievously. "Listen, she loved to bother me so she was kind of like my arch nemesis, but the type of antagonist that you can't help but root for."

Desperate to forget, Regina prompts, "What did she tease you about?"

Emma pauses, the smirk loosening and fading to a wistful smile, and lifts a hand to scratch at her neck. It's a nervous tick, Regina thinks. "You."

Regina feels her heart stutter as it sinks in that her sister teased Emma about the obvious crush the blonde had on her. Emma was not one for subtlety, in any aspect of her life. She would slip notes with flirty puns into her locker or lab coat to make her smile.

"Now what's on the menu? Me-n-u." She found on a post-it-note on her car window when leaving work.

"If you were a fruit, you'd be a fine-apple." She found on her lunch tray as the cafeteria lady smirked from behind the counter.

"Do you know what my shirt is made of? 100% cotton, but also girlfriend material." She found in the pocket of her lab coat after her father died of a heart attack. It made her smile when she thought she never would again.

Regina had never taken the gestures seriously though. Emma was known for being a perpetual bachelorette, never dating or sleeping with anyone at the hospital. She was the George Clooney of Mills-Gold Hospital. 

"But you could be her Amal," Marian would joke. Regina couldn't help but wonder if the the notes were genuine after all.

"Hey, guys." Marian breaks the silence that had fallen over them as she maneuvers from the plane slowly. She swipes a piece of wire from her path only to get zapped lightly. She hisses and sucks on the finger. 

"So, you and the pilot?" Marian's cheeks turn a deep crimson and Regina's grin widens as Marian attempts to look away and clear her throat. 

"His name is Robin and he's trapped by his seat belt. I found a first aid kit but there wasn't anything sharp so we're back to square one," Marian informs.

"This window right here," Emma points to the glass above her. "Break it, wrap some thick cloth around the bottom of one piece, and use it to try to cut, maybe?" 

Marian moves toward Emma, picking up a rock as she walks, and steps over her to reach the window. She positions her hand and throws the rock as hard as she can into the window. It does not shatter, not even cracks. Regina begins laughing heartily and the other two women glare.

"Airplane windows are made from extremely strong, thick glass. You won't be able to break it that easily, if at all."

"You couldn't tell us that before I almost took my eye out with a rock?" Marian huffs playfully then treks back into the front of the plane. They hear her apologize softly.

"She's always been the type of person that's runs into the flames to save others." Regina looks up toward the clouds. "Zelena and I became doctors to please someone else." Regina sighs. "Why did you do it?"

Emma looks so unsure and uncomfortable that Regina wishes she could take it back, but then, "I was left by the side of the road in Boston. There was no note, no explanation, just a blanket wrapped around me with the name Emma stitched into it. A doctor, Daniel Swan, found me and tucked me into his shirt to keep me warm. He took me to the hospital and they took care of me."

Regina frowns. She can't help but realize that Emma and her sister did indeed have a lot in common. She squeezes Emma's hand and Emma continues, "When I was seven, a foster mom pushed me down the stairs for failing a quiz. The doctors didn't believe her when she told them it was an accident. They called social services. They saved me."

The grip on Emma's hand tightens as memories of Cora spring forward without permission. Perhaps she and Emma had something in common as well. "When I was seventeen, I got pregnant by this guy. His name was Neal. He and I were good friends and I was curious about guys and whether I was even into them. Spoiler alert: the answer would be no, but I was young and he was stupid so we didn't use protection because I let him pressure me into it and wham, bam, thank you ma'am. When I gave birth, I had no one with me. I was so alone and sacred, and those doctors in that moment were my family. They got me through one of the most traumatic nights of my life. They took care of me."

Emma pauses and Regina's pleased to see a small, genuine grin growing on those thin pink lips. "So, when I experienced what it was like to be a mom and lose a child, I realized that I wanted to help make sure parents wouldn't lose the children that have a chance. I wanted to give those kids their best chance, just like I gave my son his best chance by letting him go."

They let the words linger in the air, the wind sweeping it away but not erasing the tremendous amount of trust that had flowed between them, forever changing who they were to each other. For a moment, it felt peaceful. The small gusts of chilled air cooling their skin, the clouds covering them from the excessive heat of the sun, and the trees rustling. It was a calming moment, if one could forget about the sparking plane next to them. Perhaps they could pretend that Regina's sister was at home, getting ready to repair a fracture or break in some dimwitted athlete, or that August was lifting and tucking an older woman's face while trying very hard not to flirt with the sophisticated older women. Perhaps they could pretend for a little while that everything hadn't gone to hell. 

They could've tried, but apparently they can't because, "Oh god, there's gas leaking from somewhere and its heading right for dangerous fiery territory! We need to get out of here!"

"What?" If Regina believed in a God, she'd wonder why the hell he hates her. Marian bursts from the plane, nearly knocking Regina onto her back. She puts her hand on Marian's thigh to stop her from falling over.

"There's gas leaking and it's making a beeline for the small fire at the back of the plane. Once that gas reaches that flame, we're in big trouble. So we need to get Robin out and we have to go. We need to move, like right now." Regina feels her lungs seize, because they can find a way to release a seat belts hold but Emma Swan is currently pinned to the ground by a spiked piece of metal going through her leg and into the dirt below. Even with the pilots help, Regina's not sure they can free her, and Emma senses that.

"Go get the pilot out. Don't worry about me, not right now."


	3. Chapter 3

They spend twenty minutes pulling at the seat belt with brute force and it starts to loosen across Robin's torso. The man's face is red and he's exerting so much energy into unlatching the seat belt that Regina begins to worry his heart will give out. Marian flies forward and straddles his lap, which causes them both to flush and smile nauseatingly. Regina groans but continues tugging on the apparatus as Marian takes one of the broken handles from the cockpit floor and shoves it into the open slot on the tongue of the seat belt. She pulls up harshly and they all feel a wave of relief when they hear an audible clicking sound. The seat belt is dislodged. 

"Oh thank god." Marian gasps. She flies upward, noticeably embarrassed, and Robin stands up after her. He whimpers when he stands, his legs giving out slightly. 

"I've been sitting for so long." He explains. Marian throws his arm over her shoulders and together they make their way off of the plane with Regina in tow. Marian begrudgingly tells Regina that she's going to take Robin to where her sister is and Regina feels anger bubble up. This circumstance won't even allow Zelena to have her dying wish granted. It was like the universe was giving them the giant middle finger.

"You should go with them." 

"You should stop talking, Emma." She's frustrated, angry, hopeless, and the last thing she wants to do is snap at her... her friend. She needs Emma to stop playing the martyr and just fight, because she refuses to leave the blonde behind. She will not do that. Maybe it's because she's got a death wish, or because she possibly wants that plane to explode and take her out, or because Emma Swan suddenly means something, something she can't define. 

"There's no way for me to get out." Emma says. Regina doesn't move so Emma growls and sits up, ignoring the searing pain that occurs when she moves. The pole went through the mangled leg at an angle and tore through the calf muscle, missing bone. The metal must've descended at a rapid rate for it to have penetrated through flesh and embed itself into the dirt below. Emma exhales shakily before lightly tugging the metal upward. She cries out when it nudges slightly.

"Oh, fuck. This is worse than childbirth." Emma growls during another tug. "This is the worst thing ever."

Regina feels a laugh rumbling in her chest, absolutely delirious. She's either about to cry or she's about to lose her sanity. "Emma, you're going to hurt yourself."

"You're one to talk! This thing is getting ready to blow and you won't just leave me here. I'm a lost cause." Regina ignores her and reaches over to steady the pole. She could smell the gasoline. Her heart is pounding and she has to stop herself from just yanking the pole up and out.

"Just do it. We stay here and we get blown to bits, but if you just pull it out... there's a chance I'll bleed out but there's also a chance I'll make it." Regina nods solemnly in reply. Emma reminds her of the gauze Marian had found in the first aid kit and Regina quickly retrieves it from the inside of the plane, taking notice of the gasoline inching closer to the fire. When she steps out, Marian is there and she's kneeling next to Emma, stroking her blonde hair and picking pieces of mulch out. She briefly wonders when those two had gotten close. 

"Maybe when our plane crashed and made us all have to depend on each other." She mutters angrily. Regina drops the first aid kit next to Emma's thigh and shoots Marian a meaningful look. "On three?"

Marian nods and wraps her hands around the middle of the pole. Emma sucks in a breath and shakily adds, "Do it quick. Don't hesitate, no matter how much pain I'm in."

Regina cringes but nods, grabbing the top of the pole securely. She counts down and the two best friends pull, fighting to ignore Emma's blood curdling screams but failing as tears build in their eyes. The pole loosens from the ground slightly but stubbornly stays in flesh. The women let go to allow Emma to catch her breath.

"I'm gonna die here, aren't I?" Emma's body shakes with sobs. "This is just my fucking luck."

"You're going to be fine." Regina replies, her tone hard and unaccepting. Marian doesn't look as convinced, staring at the metal protruding from Emma's leg with aggravation.

"Emma? Oh my god! Emma!" Belle, with her hands and abdomen covered in blood, runs from the tree line toward them and drops next to the blonde. Regina wants to ask why Belle left, terror momentarily present as she wonders if Zelena was gone. Belle notices the fearful expression and adds, "Zelena is still... awake, but she's stubborn. When Marian told us what happened to Emma, she basically told me to get over here and help save the, and I quote, 'pretty blonde baby doctor that Regina's got a teen crush on'."

For fucks sake. Thankfully Emma is in too much pain to pay attention to the conversation. The fire at the back of the plane creates shadows on Belle's face and Regina realizes that it's getting dark, which means it's going to get cold and, while Regina's sure the nice explosion will generate a lot of heat, she'd prefer none of them be ashes. 

"Okay, lets all pull. Marian and I got it to loosen a bit. Perhaps with all of our energy, we can dislodge it completely." Regina says. Belle adds her hands to the bottom of the pole and they count down again, pulling upward to the sounds of Emma in agony. The earths grip on the metal loosens some more but it's not enough. Regina growls and kick the plane.

That damn plane took so much from her. She wants to burn it down. She wants to scream, to hit something, to snap. She feels resentment toward those poor Siamese twins and then she remembers Henry telling her to go. Her anger drains from her body, because she can't resent him. He was right. This was supposed to be a stimulating trip full of surgery and prestige. She lowers her head, because it's not the planes fault or Robins fault or Henry's fault. It's no ones fault, and Regina doesn't know where to direct her anger. She doesn't know what to do.

She feels something caressing her ankle and looks down to find Emma's fingers gently stroking her, as if she's aware just how close Regina is to a mental breakdown. She kneels down and takes Emma's hand, giving it a squeeze to show her appreciation in the only way she currently can express.

"How are you?" She asks.

"I've been better." 

"That was probably a stupid question." Regina says as she takes in the cuts and bruises littering Emma's body. 

"Probably, but you're trying." Emma smiles, just a quick quirk of her lips, and Regina can't help but smile back, albeit a bit sadly. They hear a staged cough and look up to notice that Marian and Belle had been watching them with interest. Regina's first instinct is to drop Emma's hand and make a snappy comment but she thinks of dripping blood and just blushes.

"While that was sickeningly sweet and cute, we kinda need to save Emma's life so that you can continue being sickeningly sweet and cute in the future. So shall we--" A shuffling from the woods to the left of Marian and Belle makes them pause. Emma sits up a bit and peers around the pole in her leg.

"August?" Emma calls out, hesitant. The shuffling becomes louder and they all freeze, waiting for either some kind of creature or a burly man to pop from behind the foliage. 

"Emma?" August flies into the open area, his hand and his scrubs completely covered in blood. Emma extends a hand to him and he runs to grab it with his uninjured one. Regina notices that his right hand has a nasty slash across the palm, the obvious cause of the blood covering him, and other more minor cuts. Belle and Marian throw their arms around him. Regina stays rooted on her knees next to Emma, not letting the blonde go. 

"August, you look like shit." Emma says, clearly relieved and in higher spirits now that her brother is safe. The man snickers, the sound unsteady, especially when he starts to take in the situation he just walked into.

"Looks like you're worse off than me, Swan." If Regina's glare could produce heat, not only would they stay warm during the night but August would be a pile of ash. But Emma just grins, liking the small moment of normalcy. "Damn, we need to get this pole out, disinfect and patch up the wound, and put on a splint." 

"Well we need to do it quickly. This bastard is about to blow." Marian explains, pointing at the plane, then turns to make sure Belle is ready to pull again, only to find the Australian exhaling shakily. "Belle?"

"I'm fine. Just a really bad headache. I guess the adrenaline is wearing off." 

"Take one look at me and at this ticking time bomb behind me. That should get the epinephrine pumping again." Emma says acerbically, even though she looks concerned, but Belle waves her off and grabs the pole so everyone follows suit.

Emma exhales in preparation as they count down. When all four doctors pull with all of their might, the pole finally comes loose and rips through flesh on its way out with its jagged bottom. Emma screams until she passes out. Regina curses under her breath, even though there's a significant amount of relief in the air. 

"August, can you carry her?" Marian asks. August lifts Emma into his arms, keeping his slashed hand away from her body. He gestures at Marian to grab Emma's legs and help him carry. 

"Someone should quickly check to see if there's any alcohol left on the plane. We can use that to disinfect our wounds. If you can tear some of the paneling from the interior and find some sort of rope, we can make a splint. While you're in there, check for food and water, even if I doubt any stayed in the vessel." August says then looks to Marian, who leads him back to where Zelena and Robin are. Regina watches them go to make sure Emma is being safely transferred.

"Let's get whatever we can and haul out of here." Belle strides into the plane and immediately goes to the locked cabinets in the back. She rips a pin from her hair and begins to pick the lock, which shocks the hell out of Regina. Belle French always seemed so uptight and utterly good, but perhaps this was the Belle that Zelena felt connected to. With a click, the lock opens and Belle rips it from the cabinet. She smiles as she picks up two bottles of vodka. "These shelves could work for part of the split. We just need something to bind the parts together."

"Anything sharp in there?" 

"Not in here but there's more cabinets to open. Let me pick this one." Belle crouches and begins picking the lock on the lower cabinet. Regina takes that time to swipe the box of snacks and beverages that had been in the cockpit closet. She hears a click and Belle's sigh. "Nothing sharp in here but there's more alcohol. Might as well take it. I'm gonna need it, honestly." 

Belle starts picking the cabinet on the other side, startlingly close to the gasoline slowly dripping from the side of the plane and descending down the walkway toward the small fire at the back, near the bathroom. Regina watches Belle, keeping a close eye to make sure she doesn't get too close to the flame. As she stores the four bottles of vodka in the box of snacks, Regina peers at Belle and asks, "So how did you learn to pick locks? Not a skill I'd associate with you, if I'm honest." 

The other woman's grins mischievously, "When I was a teenager, my father would try to send me to my room as punishment but I would sneak out of the room and head over to the study, which was really a library, and read for hours until he found me. So then he tried to lock me in the room so I couldn't get out for my hour long punishment, but I asked one of the drug dealing boys at school to teach me to pick locks." Belle giggles nostalgically. "My father was beside himself when he saw me again in the library. He must've thought I was magic, at least until he found the bobby pin on the floor and put two and two together. He then tried to take all the pins from my room, but I was always one step ahead. I hid a pin in my hair and he'd end up finding me in the library, reading innocently."

Regina laughs. "Did he give up?"

"Oh no, my father was a stubborn man. The problem was that I was just as stubborn." Belle grins as she opens the last cabinet. "Even on his death bed, he and I had battles of wills. It was the way we communicated."

Belle gasps excitedly and pulls a box cutter from the cabinet. They spend the next two minutes cutting leather strips from the seats then high tail it out of the plane, hoping to never have to see it again. As they walk up the slight incline toward the others, Regina slyly looks Belle over. "So, you and my sister?"

Belle almost trips and Regina bites the inside of her cheek, holding in a grin. The other woman clears her throat and shakes her head. "We're friends."

"But?" 

"But I always thought she might want more, like I want more." Regina wants to assure her that Zelena does indeed want more, that Zelena was so smitten and soft whenever Belle was around, but she doesn't. That's not her story to tell. She just hopes that Belle will know the truth before it's too late. Regina and Belle walk in silence for the rest of the trek, each lost in their own thoughts about the red head they knew they'd lose.

They reach the clearing right when the dark of night becomes forceful and the chill grows in the air. Regina immediately runs to Zelena and drops beside her.

"Couldn't stay away, huh? Most of my lovers were afflicted in the same manner." Zelena attempts to grin but it's weak and more of a grimace. Her face is pale, almost grey, and the blood has dried and crusted on her chin. Regina feels her eyes burn but she stares off into the darkened tree line. "Don't be upset."

"Easier said than done, Zelena." She whispers. Belle drops down next to her after giving August the supplies needed to disinfect and splint Emma's leg. The blonde is passed out. The day took its toll on her, on all of them.

"Swan's looking worse for wear." Zelena comments, her tone is indifferent but her eyes keep darting toward the sleeping blonde and Regina swears she spots concern in those blue eyes. 

"Her leg is badly broken, bruised, and a metallic pole went through her calf muscle, but she's alive and she'll be okay." Regina says the last part quietly, as if trying to convince herself. Zelena smiles weakly.

"She'll be okay. So will you. So will Belle and August and Marian and Mr. Pilot, who has quite the soothing voice and you may be able to sue him for all he's worth." Robin indignantly scoffs and Regina feels amused, despite the heart breaking situation. She looks around and takes notice of her surroundings. A small campfire was built in the center of the clearing. It's flickering and crackling bringing some form of serenity. Marian is sitting against a nearby tree, her eyes closed, with Robin next to her. The pilot seems traumatized and unable to sleep, his eyes wide and unblinking as he stares into the fire. August is across the clearing. He's cradling a sleeping Emma, bandaged with a splint, in his arms and attempting to cover his yawns. 

"Regina?" She snaps her gaze back to her sister, who looks between her and Belle. "Can I have a moment with Belle, please?"

She knows it's nearing the end. She can see it in Zelena's eyes, the life being gradually sucked out of them, and she nods slowly. There's a lump in her throat as she stands and walks toward the fire. She stands there and looks at the twigs glowing orange from the heat. Regina doesn't want to eavesdrop, but she can't help but be enraptured by the softness in Zelena's voice.

"Belle, thank you for everything, for not giving up on me. I was in such a bad place when I met you but I've changed since then and I think you've played a big part in making me a better person. I don't know what I would've done without you." The fire makes a popping sound and it feels like a gunshot. 

"I don't know what I'm going to do without you, Zelena." Belle whispers. "There's so much I never got to tell you, to show you."

"So tell me. Show me. I'm right here." Belle doesn't respond, but Regina hears a blissful sigh and the parting of lips. She smiles. 

"What would our lives look like? Tell me. I want to go with a smile on my face." Zelena's voice is so quiet, so weak, and Regina turns to face her. 

"We'd work too much but collapse into each other's arms at night. We'd fight about having kids but I'd win, like I always do, and we'd adopt because you know what that means. We'd argue over getting a cat or a dog then we'd just get two of each. We'd grow old and cranky together, and even when I want to strangle you, I'd want to kiss you. Just like I did when I first saw you and just like I did every day after. Because I'd be in love with you, like I am now, like I'll always be."

"That sounds... just lovely." 

Then she goes still, her eyes close and her chest deflates, the puff of air pushing a piece of Belle's hair. Regina's heart constricts. She can't breath or move or think. She lets out a pained gasp.

"No." She gasps as arms, Marian's arms, encircle her and squeeze so tight. "Oh god, no. Zelena?"

Belle's shoulders shake as she leans down to place her forehead against Zelena's and lifts two fingers to the still, pale neck. She feels for a moment and then her hand slides down to the chest, above the heart, and Regina feels her knees give out. Marian lowers her gently and follows, never breaking the hug. 

She sobs, loud and raw and ugly, because nothing is okay.


	4. Chapter 4

The night was chilly, dark, and plagued by the sounds of sadness and regret. When the sun rose, the atmosphere became colder, not from the temperature but the frigidity among the group. Perhaps because the dark of night hid Zelena's body from view but the sun put a spotlight on her. Regina and Belle huddled together with their backs to the body of the woman they cared for. Marian had attempted to comfort them both but the two had shrugged her off. It wasn't that they didn't appreciate the gesture, but the two women were inconsolable and believed none of the others could understand the pain coursing through them. 

The gasoline must've reached the fire during the night. They could smell the burning mulch and trees and see the sky become muddled with black smoke. Nothing had exploded, but they stayed alert. 

Emma hadn't woken up and August hadn't slept, too worried about his foster sister. By mid morning he begins to fidget and asks Marian to sit with Emma while he goes relieve himself.

"I'll sit with her." Regina mutters, already standing up. Marian shoots Regina a concerned look, as if wondering whether Regina can truly care for someone in her state of mind, but the older woman ignores it as she replaces August and plays with Emma's hair. The golden strands are soft despite the dirt mixed into the tresses and Regina focuses on it intensely, so much so that she doesn't notice when August returns and the concerned look exchanged between him and Marian. August doesn't say a word, however, and leaves Regina with Emma, figuring that the brunette needed something or someone to distract her. 

Emma wakes several hours later, just as the sun rises above them to signal noon. She's disoriented and groaning. The splint is digging into her knee and the wound on her calf is pulsating painfully, but she feels fingers scratching her scalp, slowly easing her back to wakefulness. While the doctors logically knew that the trauma of the day before had taken its toll on the blonde and she needed the rest, they were relieved when Emma stirred. After losing Zelena, they were on edge, just waiting for the next shoe to drop.

"Welcome back, Miss Swan." Regina whispers softly, her fingers now massaging the blondes temples. "Have a nice nap?"

Emma blinks rapidly a few times and shakes her head to chase away the mental fog left from her long rest. "How long have I been out?"

"More than twelve hours, less than twenty four." Regina replies. Emma looks around the clearing and her eyes immediately find Zelena. She watches the body, looking for signs of life. She finds none and returns her gaze to Regina. 

"How are you?" Emma asks.

"I've been better."

"That was a stupid question, huh?" 

Regina smiles sadly, nodding, and replies, "Yes, but at least you're here now." 

The others walk over and fill Emma in on the events she'd missed, conveniently leaving out Regina's sister and the sadness that had befallen Regina and Belle. Emma sensed it, the melancholy, the moment she'd woken up, but she smiles as they regale her with information.

"The plane totally caught on fire. You smell that? Burnt plastic and tree. Bottle that and you lose your entire life savings on garbage." August tells her. Regina's hand lingers on her collarbone, letting her fingers travel over the indentations.

"You should've seen how high pitched his scream was!" Marian laughs jovially while Robin yells, "Raccoons have diseases, Marian! It could've attacked!"

"Never wipe with a leaf. You'll get a mean rash between the lower cheeks." August adds. Regina's hand drifts down to rub comforting circles on her abdomen. 

Belle doesn't approach and Emma takes no offense. Truthfully, it's what she expects. If anyone can understand needing space, it's Emma Swan. Regina, though, stays very close, her hands roaming Emma's torso innocently, as if she needed to be connected with Emma at all times. No one questions it. 

"They have to be looking for us by now. Mercy West had to call Gold when our plane didn't arrive yesterday." Regina explains as she runs her nails lightly against Emma's abdomen. The blonde hums in agreement but also because the rub down feels nice and distracts her from the excruciating pain. "You think they'll find us soon?"

"Probably. You're one of the best cardio surgeons in the United States. They're looking for you." Emma says, her voice dull. 

Regina can't help but think of foster parents and rejection after rejection. So she replies, "They're looking for you too. You're Emma Swan, one of the pioneers in fetal surgery. Plus, you're on the hospital pamphlets. That'd be bad PR." Emma cracks and laughs deeply, and Regina can't help but feel satisfied. 

"You're funny and kind of awesome. I don't get why they call you The Evil Queen." Regina just smirks at that. Her interns had stuck her with that nickname a few years back because of her stringent rules and harsh expectations. To be a doctor meant to be meticulous. After all, there's a life resting in your hands. However, the young men and women that had been under her watch were too busy trying to rise to the top and reach a level where they could be her equal to realize that being in the surgical field shouldn't only be a competition. Her constant nagging when they made mistakes got her that title but if it eventually would make them better doctors, she would wear the title with pride. "You don't look so evil to me."

Regina breaths lightly then whispers, "What do I look like then?"

"Doctor by day, model by night." Emma grins. Regina doesn't let Emma see just how flattered she is by the answer but she pokes Emma's stomach playfully, smirking internally when Emma sucks in a breath. 

"So you find me attractive?" 

"Do you own a mirror? You're beautiful, Regina." The brunette knew she was attractive to others. Men constantly tried to gain her attention and affection but Regina found herself more connected to women than to men, so their attempts usually went unrecognized. Compliments from women were few and far between, mostly because she was surrounded by straight women at the hospital and she had no time to socialize. Or at least she claimed she had no time, even though she would binge watch shows online on her off time. But those words from Emma excited her in a way that almost made her feel guilty, especially as she listened to Belle's weak cries. 

"I'm sorry about Zelena." Emma whispers unevenly, like she had been attempting to express it for a while but couldn't bring herself to do it until now. Regina nods as she plays with Emma's scrubs, twisting the material around her fingers then pulling on a loose thread. 

"Me too." She replies softly. The moment lingers between them until Regina shifts, aligning her body with Emma's and turning on her side. She lowers onto the dirt completely. Her face is inches from Emma's but she doesn't pull back. Neither does Emma. "I'm sorry about your leg."

"August says its possible it can be saved, even though it'll be complex and take a long time to recover." Regina nods, but internally deflates at the optimism she hears in Emma's voice, because while August may be one of the best orthopedic surgeons out there, he's not a miracle worker, and Emma's leg looks gnarly and possibly infected. 

She doesn't have it in her to be brutally honest, not after the night before, so she looks toward Marian, who had been oddly silent since she regaled Emma with chatter a bit earlier. Her friend is slouched against the pilot, who's holding her gently, and catching up on much needed rest. Then suddenly she hears a retching sound and realizes that Belle has migrated toward the tree line and is emptying the contexts of her stomach. Just as she's about to run and comfort the other brunette, August holds her down by her shoulder.

"I've got her. Stay here with Emma?" Regina nods in response but shoots a worried glance toward Belle. Emma nudges her with her elbow.

"You can go check on her. Nothing will happen to me in the five minutes you're gone." Regina doesn't go. She cuddles closer to Emma, making their noses caress. She may hear Emma inhale sharply but she's not sure. She listens to Belle explain that she feels weak and light headed. August offers her a snack from the box Regina had found on the plane and Belle quickly munches down a protein bar. 

"If you could be anywhere right now, where would you choose to be?" Emma asks, her voice quiet and unsure. Regina closes her eyes and imagines a hospital room and hazel eyes.

"I'd be in room 108 at the hospital, playing Old Maid." Emma raises an eyebrow and Regina adds, "I have a patient who found and conquered my soft side. His name is Henry, like my father. He's ten, too smart and too nosy for his own good. He was found unconscious on a bus by the driver. He's an orphan, in need of a heart transplant, and he's magnificent in every way."

"Sounds like you love the kid?" There's a warmth permeating Emma's chest when Regina nods, smiling genuinely, brightly. 

"He's a lovely boy. It's... it's going to hurt to see him go." Emma looks toward the clouds, feeling the sun light radiate through them and make her vision fuzzy. She squeezes Regina's hand and worries her bottom lip.

"Maybe you don't have to say goodbye. Maybe you can--" She stops suddenly and Regina's about to ask what's wrong when she hears it too. A helicopter. Before they can even process it, Marian, Robin, and August are on their feet, screaming as loud as they can for help. The noise grows louder and louder, and Regina's heart races faster and faster. She hears Emma whispering pleas under her breath and she places her hand above the blondes heart, feeling it pound against the skin. 

"We're down here! Please hear us!" Marian yells.

"You lovely sons of bitches, look down here!" August screams, his voice the loudest and most booming. 

"Is that a helicopter?" Robin belts out dumbly, his arms waving in the air as if their potential rescuers can actually see him. Well, she supposes Marian's attraction wasn't for his mind anyway. 

The sound, loud and ear splitting, is above them. Before they can call out again, a light, so bright that they have to squint, rains down on them and a distorted voice calls out, "Remain calm. We are coming to get you."

~|SQ|~

They're air lifted to the nearest hospital in some rinky-dink town in New Hampshire after the medical team spent an hour getting everyone, including Zelena's corpse, onto the helicopter. They land and immediately throw Emma onto a stretcher. As the paramedics gather around her, strapping her down, she looks around the pad and sees everything look so worn down, but her breathes catches when she spots one person in particular. 

Regina is standing at the edge, alone, grasping at Zelena's lifeless hand. The body had been covered by a towel for respect, but the bloodied hand had been visible and Regina hadn't let go the entire time. It looks like the weight of the situation finally descended upon her and Emma wishes she could jump off the stretcher and be there for her, but she's being wheeled away moments after. Her eyes never stray from the lonely woman, not until she's situated in the elevator and the doors slowly close.

"You can save her leg. I can scrub in." A paramedic grabs August's hand and looks pointedly at him. "It's fine. I'm fine. I can work. I can help."

"Sir, you are in no condition to be standing, let alone performing orthopedic surgery. You're dehydrated and that cut looks deep. You're going to need stitches, possibly surgery." The elevator jolts and the doors slide open. They fly into the bright, white hallway. The stretcher vibrates as it moves across tiled floor and she feels her body go numb. She suddenly feels so tired, her eyes drooping as August continues to follow behind and argue with one of the paramedics. 

Irritation builds until she finally snaps, "Listen to him, August! Go get cleaned up and evaluated. I'd feel calmer if I knew you were being taken care of."

August deflates, knowing his sister is right for once. She grabs his arm before they can move the stretcher through the doors where they'd be separated and the paramedics seem frustrated but follow Emma's silent order. "I need you to check on Regina and Belle. They just lost someone important to them. Please, just look after them. Make sure Marian gets checked out too, okay?" She catches his nod right as the stretcher jolts forward and through the doors. They close behind her, leaving August to stare at her through the glass. 

The staff is nice, too nice if you ask Emma. They're all smiles and high pitched voices and pet names. 

"How are you feeling, darling?" 

"I'm going to check your heart rate, honey." 

"Oh, that leg. Don't worry. We'll fix you up in no time, sweet heart." 

Emma's ready to throttle them, but she reigns it in, way too worried about her own upcoming surgery to commit mass murder. Also, the drugs they pumped her with were magical so they kind of get a pass.

"You look as high as a kite, dear." Leaning against the room opening at the foot of her bed is Regina, back straight, eyes clouded, with her arm in a dark blue sling. Emma sobers up immediately. 

"Your arm?" Emma asks, worried.

Regina tilts the sling to show it off then says, "Dislocated elbow." The brunette steps closer and runs her gaze over the blonde. "I thought you'd be in surgery."

Emma struggles to sit up until Regina gently maneuvers her into a comfortable sitting position. "They're running some tests and coming up with a game plan."

Regina nods absentmindedly then whispers, "I called my mother to tell her about... what happened."

"Is she--"

"She said she won't be able to make it." Regina finishes sharply. The words linger tensely between them and Emma feels more off balance than she has in a long time.

"She can't make it? Like she's fucking RSVP'ing to a party invite?" Regina's eye twitches, but the rest of her body is stiff and her face is stoic. She's trying to hide it, the anger and the sadness. It's simmering below the surface. 

"She says she has very important meetings to attend this week so she wants me to get everything in order for the funeral." Regina exhales, "I'm not even sure if Zelena wanted a funeral, if she wanted to be cremated."

Another eye twitch. Regina adds, "Doesn't that just put the icing on this detestable cake? I didn't know my sister at all... because I was too tangled in my own anger and frustration with her to care. Worst of all? In that helicopter ride here, I realized I'd never get to try with her."

Emma knows there's no way to truly comfort Regina, but she reaches over and strokes the hand on top of the hospital bed anyway. "If anything had happened to August, I wouldn't know what to do either. It's not something we talked about. We don't have wills. This wasn't supposed to happen." 

Emma pauses then sighs. "I know people say we should be prepared for anything and that life is short, but do people truly think they'll leave their homes and not return later? When we get upset at our loved ones and don't tell them we love them before they walk out the door, we expect to be able to say it again at some point, when the battle of wills is over. We're so focused on living that we don't want to talk or think about dying. It's not your fault that you expected you'd have more time. We all expected to have more with Zelena. She would've wanted to have more time with you."

"How could you possibly know that?" Regina sniffs. Her eyes and nose are red and Emma feels a lump in her throat. 

"Zelena teased me about you but I also teased her back. She was always yammering on about you," Emma lifts a palm to stop Regina's surely caustic remark, "And no, it wasn't shit talking. She would always tell me about you; how you took her in when your mother pushed her out and how you have a big heart, even if it's guarded most of the time. Zelena was angry with the situation and was jealous but she cared about you and she admired you, Regina."

The brunette doesn't say anything for a while and Emma just stares at her, perfectly content to just enjoy the silence, until Regina drags the visitors chair closer to the bed and sits.

"Thank you." Regina whispers as she leans forward and shyly kisses Emma's cheek. Something loosens in Emma's chest. She can't figure out exactly what it is but she feels weightless 

They sit there for a while. The only sounds are the heart monitor beeping rhythmically and the occasion tap of Regina's shoe against the plastic frame of the bed. Emma's thumb continues to caress Regina's knuckles until a nurse strolls in and raises an eyebrow amusedly. Emma finds the urge to murder rise but it's squashed when the brunette opens her palm and intertwines their fingers. The nurse grins and Emma feels pretty good about it. 

"Your surgeon will be here to be speak to you shortly." The nurse says then checks her blood pressure, which is a little high but, hell, that should be expected. Once she's gone, Emma feels Regina's light touch on her cheek.

"You'll be alright." It's a demand and Emma finds herself holding in a laugh. 

"I'll be okay, one way or another." Emma responds to the demand, pretending it was a question, and it makes Regina grin. It's small and Emma has to look closely to see the quirk of the lips, but it feels like a victory.

"Good. I'd miss seeing your ass in scrubs." Emma laughs so hard that she feels her face burn with a blush. Regina chuckles softly at the sound. 

"You continue to astound me, Mills."


	5. Chapter 5

Regina sits uncomfortably in Emma's room while she's in surgery. Regina paces at times, worried about the outcome, since the surgeons seemed unsure whether the leg was salvageable and Emma had been twitchy as they wheeled her out. Marian slips in and out of the room, each time attempting to coax her out to eat.

"I understand there's some shitty things going on right now but you need to eat, even if it's just a sandwich." She'd said as she pulled on Regina's limp hand to no avail. August had paced outside the room, breaking up the flow of movement in the hallway, until Marian successfully coaxed him away. Belle hadn't been seen since they arrived and Regina had requested that they search for her. She worried for the Australian in her depressed state of mind.

Now, Regina enjoys the silence. At least until Emma's nurse appears.

"She's going to be fine. She seems like a tough cookie, that one." The nurse says, smiling knowingly at her from the door way. 

"Yes, she's something." Regina replies sarcastically. The nurse's smile grows, a mischievous glint in her eye, and Regina sighs exasperatedly before adding quietly, "She's special."

"You should tell her." The nurse, whose scrubs have the name Elsa Frost stitched right above her left breast, sits next to her. Regina feels the urge to squirm away but Elsa has been so kind to them so she tries hard to not shuffle in her seat.

"Her ego doesn't need to be inflated any more than it already is." Regina replies, a false smirk pulling at her lips.

"Not that." Elsa chuckles knowingly. "You should tell her you're in love with her."

The words make Regina's heart stop and she finally squirms. She wipes her palms on the clean scrub bottoms the hospital had given her after she got cleared and washed up. She swallows harshly. "I don't... we flirt sometimes at the hospital and I suppose she's my friend now, after this whole ordeal, but love is a strong word, Miss Frost."

"It is. That's why I used it, Miss Mills." 

"Are you mocking me?" Regina replies indignantly.

"Are you trying to deflect?" Elsa says, lifting an eyebrow challengingly as Regina rolls her eyes. 

"Are you always sticking your nose in other people's business or am I just lucky?" Elsa looks amused more than anything and Regina can't help but wonder what a woman like her is doing in a small town hospital with mediocre supplies and nurses so old they could rival dinosaurs. If she wasn't mildly uncomfortable about being put on the spot, she'd realize just how much she admired the other woman's spunk. 

"Being nosy is simply my hobby but I'm an avid participant." Elsa jones lightly, obviously allowing Regina's harshness to roll off her. Regina was never one for gossip. Her mother had always fished for any and all information, especially if it could further her own career in the corporate and political worlds. Regina, however, only ever wanted to live in peace. She tried to find it on a ranch with a young man she'd dated in high school. Daniel worked hard for her family and his kind heart had intrigued her. He was so different from the people her mother forced her to hang around with. In the end, her mother got what she wanted. Daniel received a job offer that had been "too good to pass up". Once the charm of living on the ranch alone wore off, Regina fell prey to her mothers aspirations and entered medical school.

Elsa notices her far off look and clears her throat, making Regina jump. She says, "What are you afraid of? That Miss Swan won't reciprocate your feelings or that she will?" 

The question weighs her down, making her lungs seize, because it's who she is. She pushes people away when they get too close. Cora Mills never allowed Regina to make friends or have relationships, even going as far as threatening and extorting. It what was Cora thought was right but now she just keeps thinking of red hair, blood, and a plea for her to let people in, to be different from their mother. But she finds it hard in this moment, because this isn't her sister or Marian or Emma. It's opening up to someone who could turn against you and use anything you say to their advantage.

With that thought in mind, Regina stands and excuses herself, walking away even though Elsa stares at her with that wide eyed hurt. She finds Marian in the cafeteria and allows her friend to shove a sandwich into her hands then takes a hearty bite. She moans at the flavor, which surprises her considering hospital cafeteria food is equivalent to literal trash. 

She's halfway through the sandwich when Marian asks, "Are you okay?"

She laughs. It's a deep, angry laugh and Marian nods at the reaction, knowing that Regina feels like she's losing control. Slowly the laughter dies down until it's a hiccup and a frown. Marian sighs and reaches over to rub Regina's forearm. She gives it a parting squeeze, a promise that they would talk more when Regina felt stable again. 

Then they hear a loud bang and see a commotion by the cafeteria line. The lunch lady keeps screaming for help and every doctor in the room runs toward them. Regina pushes until she can get a view of the situation and when she does, her heart stops.

Belle is unconscious on the linoleum, her body shaking and her mouth foaming. 

~|SQ|~

Emma wakes up to an empty room and the incessant beeping of her heart monitor. She pushes away the loneliness that courses through her when she spots the vacant visitors chairs. They probably went to stretch their legs or to find something to eat, but she couldn't help but feel that perhaps they didn't care. 

At least she felt that until Elsa walks into her room with a grim expression, pity clear in her blue eyes. Emma shifts, still feeling groggy as her body aches, and asks, "What's going on?"

"I can't divulge any information but I'm sure your friends will come by and explain." Elsa looks toward the floor. "How are you doing?"

Emma tilts her chin up and blinks rapidly to displace the tears blurring her vision as she stares at the blanket covering her extremities. "My leg is gone, isn't it?"

Elsa frowns, more pity gathering in her expression, and says, "I'm so sorry." Emma nods at the confirmation and allows the tears to fall. Elsa takes a step forward, like she wants to comfort her, but stops short a few feet from the bed. "Your leg was severely damaged. They were going to try to save it but it was too far gone, too mangled, and the infection started to spread. This was your best chance of survival."

"My best chance." Emma mutters. She's said those exact words so many times throughout her career, to other doctors and to patients and their families, but she'd never heard it said to her. She realizes it's about as comforting as 'I'm sorry for your loss'. Neither truly made the hurt fade or lessen. 

Elsa grimaces when Emma shakes her head dejectedly but she recovers and attempts a small smile as she adds, "Prosthetics has truly evolved over the years and it will continue to innovate--"

"I'm not feeling too great. I think I'm going to try to sleep a little." Hearing the clear dismissal, Elsa hides the hurt as best she can.

"Of course." She stands and slowly wipes her palms on her light blue scrubs then walks out of the room swiftly. Emma feels guilt burn in her chest but she pushes it down with a deep breath and closes her eyes, falling asleep not long after.

She wakes to a presence in the room and she's about to politely tell Elsa that she's not ready to talk when a whisper rings out in the silent room. "Emma?"

It's Regina. Her voice sounds raw, like she's been crying. Emma begins to turn but a firm hand lands on her shoulder and keeps her in place, turned away from the visitors chair. Emma's brow scrunches with bemusement but Regina just squeezes the flesh under her palm. It's quiet for a minute and Emma can almost feel Regina collecting her thoughts, see the cogs turning in her mind. 

When Regina finally speaks, her voice is wet. "I'm so sorry for this but I don't know who else to go to. I don't know what to do."

"Regina?" Emma pushes against the hand on her shoulder and the brunette's grip loosens. Emma turns over and her gaze immediately lands on the woman in the visitors chair. Regina's eyes are red rimmed and wet. The tear tracks marring her rosy cheeks make it clear that Regina has been upset for a while and she wants to comfort her but Regina pulls away, needing a moment to collect herself.

"Belle collapsed in the cafeteria." Emma opens her mouth but Regina continues robotically, "She has a brain bleed."

"What? No. She's... she was fine, physically. There weren't any signs--" 

"Yes, there were. She had a headache, was weak, nauseous. It just blended into the background because of everything else." Regina looks away. "We didn't see it."

Emma's body trembles as she gently falls back onto the bed and presses the palm of her hand aggressively over her eyes. She's cried more the last few days than she has in a long time and it's taking a toll. 

"What's going to happen now?" Emma replies after a few minutes of silence. Regina leans forward, looking exhausted, and places her forearms on the bed, her hands threading through her own hair to keep her head up. 

"They called her son. He's flying in tonight to be with her." Regina says and Emma blows out a breath. She didn't know Belle had a kid. She didn't even get to talk to Belle before it happened. It's like one punch after another and Emma thinks the universe is ready to knock her ass out.

"Emma?" Regina's hand slides onto her torso and moves toward Emma's upper thigh after a moments hesitation. She knew what Regina was asking and she wasn't sure she was ready to talk, mostly because she had no idea what to say, but she gripped the blanket in her hand and dragged the cloth upward until she heard Regina gasp. 

"It's okay." Emma whispers unconvincingly and Regina covers her mouth with her hand. A new sheen of wetness clouds Regina's brown irises. Emma looks to the ceiling and adds, "When I woke up and realized, I felt earth shatteringly devastated. It makes me feel horrible cause I'm alive, which is more than some of us got, right?"

"Emma, you lost a part of your physical self today. It's alright to feel upset." Regina sighs. "But this doesn't make you lesser. You'll have to relearn how to do things that were once natural to do but you'll be able to bounce back. You fight when it matters."

Emma starts crying before the last syllable is uttered and she hates it, but Regina instantly scoots her chair closer and rests her forehead against Emma's temple. It makes it easier somehow and Emma's cries slow to sniffles. Regina just sits there and soothes her, scratching her scalp and massaging Emma's thigh gently. 

"Did you sit in a pile of sugar?" Emma utters quietly. Regina lifts her head to stare at the blonde questioningly. "Cause you have a pretty sweet ass."

It makes Regina laugh loudly and freely, a blush creeping up her cheeks. And Emma finally feels like maybe everything really will be okay.

~|SQ|~

Belle passes away a few hours later, surrounded by friends and family and the nurses that had tended to her. They even wheel Emma's bed to the hallway outside the room and allow her to pay her respects. Regina, Marian, and August go back to her room with her and they're desperate to stay in each other's company, constantly jumping to attention when anyone so much as coughs. They're all on edge, waiting for the last shoe to drop.

But it doesn't drop. They fly back home the next morning, each tense in their seats as the craft sways from the wind gusts. Zelena's body is already at the hospital when Emma's admitted for recovery. Cora Mills is nowhere to be seen and Regina seems more angry than anything. Marian gives the pilot her number, even after he tells her he's a single father and it's a package deal. August is told there's nerve damage and that the cut will take him out of the OR for quite some time. The free time leads him to Emma's room every day, where he annoys her to no end, and Emma eventually tells him to visit once a day for an hour and no more. Ruby drops by daily as well and bombards her with the latest gossip. 

"Victor was banging some chick from the ER behind my back. I can't believe he'd do that!" Ruby cries. Emma just raises a skeptical brow.

Snow and David pop by often as well and Emma enjoys the visits more than she thought she would. David is kind of cool, in a weirdly fatherly way, and Snow, while certainly overbearing and pushy, was very sweet and cared for Emma deeply. She even went as far as bribing her rich father to install some gaming systems in Emma's hospital room. So she agrees readily when Snow begs her to meet Leo White once she's released. 

Regina visits several times a day and complains about her mother and the funeral arrangements. Cora is trying to make the funeral into an event where she can schmooze and get sympathy and Regina fights her every step of the way but it's no use. Cora always gets what she wants, and because Cora gets what she wants, the funeral is scheduled for a week after they get home.

"Zelena would hate this. She would detest this." Regina says one day as she chews on an apple and paces throughout the room.

"Zelena was also desperate for your mom's attention, but I think it's gross that Cora would go against what you're telling her to do since you knew Zelena better than she did." Regina growls, frustrated, and Emma admits that despite the conversation, she finds the brunette to be gorgeous in an unfair way.

The day after the funeral brings a lighter Regina and a little boy named Henry, who is smart and amazing and has a talent for making Regina's eyes light up. Emma and Henry immediately get on well, especially when he smirks and says, "Doctor Mills thinks you're a stud. She just won't admit it out loud. She's Meg and you're Hercules."

Now, Regina's pacing her room again. "They found a heart donor for Henry. His transplant is this afternoon."

Emma smiles and replies, "That's amazing, Regina."

"Yes, it's wonderful." Regina stops to stare at her with a guilty expression. "I feel like I'm losing him."

Emma grabs the remote on the side table and raises the top of the bed so she's sitting up then she signals for Regina to come closer. When the brunette nears, Emma latches on to Regina's trembling hand. "Remember when I told you I was a foster kid?"

When Regina nods, Emma continues, "I spent every day wishing that someone would look at me and feel like I belonged with them. I prayed for someone to love me, choose me, pick me, and now Henry has that chance."

"Emma, I can't. I'd be a terrible--"

"You'd be an amazing mom to him. I see you with him. You light up and he looks at you with that toothy grin and admiration in his eyes." Emma smiles and kisses Regina's knuckles. "You love him."

Regina shifts closer and smiles brightly back at her. "I really do. I love Henry."

"Then take the chance." The words make Regina stare at Emma, seemingly contemplating something. Then Regina's suddenly kissing her. It's gentle, shy, but Emma is disgustingly head over heels and her heart bursts at the tentative touch. 

When they part, Regina rests her forehead against Emma's and says, "I don't have a library card, but do you mind if I check you out?"

Emma snorts, completely unladylike, cause Regina looks so proud of herself and it's beyond cute. "That was awful. Bravo."

Regina leans in again and this time the kiss is hard and desperate, completely inappropriate for their workplace but they can't find it in them to care in the slightest. There's a twinge of pain--phantom limb--but Emma ignores it in favor of pressing into Regina's body. Regina moans softly when their breasts press together and Emma lifts a hand to grab a fistful of brown hair. 

"I knew it!" They pull apart, only a tiny distance between them, and share a smile. Henry is standing at the entrance, clad in Iron Man pajamas and Wonder Woman slippers (because "women can kick butt too!"). He runs to the bed and giggles boyishly, his smile is all sharp teeth and gaps where his "adult" teeth are growing in, and the two women smile back. "I knew you thought Emma's a stud!"

"You did indeed, darling." Regina reaches down to lift him onto the empty space between the two women. 

"Hey, Emma, are you getting your robot leg today?" Emma nods. Her fitting had been difficult but the leg was ready today and she'd have her first test drive, so to speak. "Cool! I'm getting my new heart today!"

"That's so awesome, kid! I bet you're sick of the hospital, huh?" Instead of enthusiastically ranting about his freedom, Henry solemnly nods and Emma adds, "You okay, Hen?"

Henry picks at the blanket's loose fibers and says, "I'm tired of being inside all the time but I'll miss my friends."

"You made friends?" Emma asks as she reaches to squeeze Regina's thigh. The brunette lays her warm hand atop Emma's, her chin wobbling with emotion.

"Yeah! Nurse Gatto, Nurse Vulcano, Nurse Murray, and Nurse Quinn! But I'll really, really miss Doctor Regina." He turns to Regina and stares for a moment before launching into her torso, wrapping his arms around her neck and holding on tightly. Regina looks close to tears as she grips his pajama shirt in her fist with one hand and strokes his hair with another. 

"Henry, what if I told you that you didn't have to say goodbye?" Emma bites her tongue to stop the stinging in her eyes as Henry pulls back to look at Regina imploringly, hope pouring out of him in waves. "What if I told you that I wanted you to come home with me after your surgery?"

"Just for a little while?" He asks. His voice is small and wet.

"No, darling. For forever. Would you like to live with me forever?" At that, Emma can't stop the tears. It's the words she'd always hoped to hear as a kid, and while she didn't get that, she's watching Henry get his moment. It's so powerful and beautiful, and it's only heightened when Regina takes her hand and kisses it, almost like she's asking Emma to stay forever too.

"More than anything!" Henry yells happily and Regina worries about his weak heart but the boy just bounces on his knees and smiles brighter than the sun. 

Through the tears, Emma smiles as well.

~|SQ|~

Emma's in the physical therapy room with the temporary prosthetic leg attached to her but she doesn't move. She hasn't moved with it at all. Her physical therapist is getting agitated, she thinks. He sighs a lot during the allotted hours she's supposed to be getting used to having a prosthetic limb. The problem is that Emma won't take a step, hasn't during the past 3 sessions, and she isn't quite sure why taking that first step feels like utter doom. 

"August told me you haven't taken the leg for a spin yet." 

"It isn't a car, Regina." Emma chuckles despite everything, especially when Regina childishly plops down next to her on the metallic bench and looks at her imploringly. Regina looks happy, especially now that the sling has been taken off. Emma sighs and dejectedly says, "I don't know. I guess it feels like doom, like if I stand then it's real, which is dumb cause the leg is already gone but..."

"But standing truly kicks off this new chapter of your life, this journey to re-learn?" Relief floods Emma at the brunettes words because someone finally gets it, gets her. She nods and Regina adds, "Not standing is also stopping you from doing what you love most."

"Kissing you?" Emma says cheekily and Regina blushes.

"I meant surgery," Regina stands and walks over to the treadmill a few feet in front of Emma, "but if that's what you want then come get it."

"Regina--"

"Come kiss me, Emma." The challenging yet sweet tone makes Emma shiver and she wishes she could just run to the other woman, but she rises shakily using the bars to the left of the bench to keep steady. Once she's up and stable, she lets go of the bars and of the breath she's holding. The leg is a bit tight and Emma will have to tell her physical therapist that it needs adjustment, but right now her heart sputters as she lifts the prosthetic and takes a small step. 

"Look at you." Regina's staring at her, eyes wet and filled with adoration, and Emma's pretty sure she's in love, even if she thinks it's kind of crazy. Emma stares back and grins. She's sort of proud of herself, in a way. She reaches out a hand and Regina immediately takes it and steadies the blonde. Regina's words this time are shaky, full of--dare she say it--love, "Come kiss me, Emma."

With a lot of effort and concentration, and perhaps a small trip that causes Regina's arms to reach around her, Emma kisses Regina. It's not sexy. It's salty from tears and their lips barely stay together through Emma's hiccuping sobs, but it's a perfect representation of what they are to each other. They aren't simple attraction and lust from afar. They're stolen kisses, support, and trust. When they part, one of Regina's fingers brushes the tears away.

"I can do this." Emma says.

"Yes. You do it exceptionally well." Regina's tiny smirk makes Emma laugh. 

"You're a nerd." Emma replies lovingly. "How's Henry?"

"He's recovering very well, even if the nurses continue to treat him like he's made of glass." Regina appreciates that the women hover over the boy. It's evident in the way the smirk transforms into a soft smile. "He'll be going home soon."

"He's got a home." Emma breathing is shallow and her heart beats against her chest wall but she finds that she feels exhilarated. 

"He does indeed, darling." Regina sets Emma down on the bench gently. Emma's leg twinges with pain but she ignores it in favor of smirking at Regina.

"How long before I can teach him to shoot hoops?"

"In no time. You'll see."

~|SQ|~

A few weeks later, it's decided that Emma will recover at Regina's home, which sounds fast since they kissed for the first time not long ago but Augusts' hand is still causing him a lot of pain and frustration. He won't be able to care for Emma the way she needs. While Emma is extremely embarrassed that Regina will have to help her get into the bath tub since her prosthetic was being refitted (Emma had been stubborn and didn't mention the tightness on the leg until blisters and sores started to form on her thigh), she feels wildly excited about being around Regina and Henry. The boy went home the week before but Regina brought him over several times to visit the nurses and Emma. The blonde feels a true connection with him, even if he slashes her ego in half every time he wipes the floor with her at Mario Karts.

"Her house is so big, Emma!" Henry cries excitedly as Emma sits up in the hospital bed. A nurse brings in a wheelchair and Emma scowls at it.

"It's your house too, kid." It's still sinking in for him. Regina says he has nightmares about being taken away, especially because he's still a foster kid. Regina had been shocked to find out how many hoops she had to jump through to be qualified to adopt and that's before even going to court. The fact that she was required to have a fire extinguisher was a fun revelation, mostly because Regina had to run to Home Depot at the break of dawn to make sure she'd pass the home inspection. But Regina never once doubted her decision to adopt Henry and she tells him that daily, but no matter how much Regina reassures him, he worries. Emma tells her that's it normal and hopefully will fade with time and with legal papers to make him feel safe. 

"Emma?" Henry pokes at her stomach and she chuckles at the childish behavior.

"Yeah?" The nurse gives her a pointed look and gestures toward the wheelchair. Emma glares back at her and the nurse simply smirks before backing out of the room.

"Are you and my--" Henry pauses and scrunches his nose. Regina told him he was free to call her whatever he wants and he seems to be testing out whether or not to call Regina mom, but he holds back. The fear of abandonment is still palpable. "Are you and Regina dating?"

"Uh, I don't know, kid." Emma grunts as she shuffles to the edge of the bed and pulls the wheelchair closer. She has a strained relationship with the contraption. It makes her feel weak, but hospital rules.

"But you kissed." Henry says, seemingly exasperated with the indecisiveness of the situation. He scratches at his chest and Emma automatically bats it away. The large scar on his chest is itchy and he's under strict orders to let it heal. Telling a kid not to do something was a sure fire way to get them to do it though. 

"Just because you kiss doesn't mean you're dating." Emma replies, bemused. She positions the wheelchair so she can easily slip into the seat. 

"So if I kissed--"

"Henry, you're seven." Emma chuckles, completely and utterly amused. Henry rolls his eyes, like Emma is the dense one. It's cute, to be honest, but Emma plasters an offended expression onto her face and huffs.

"Do you want to date Regina?" Henry asks as he gestures for Emma to pick him up. The blonde lifts him onto her healthy thigh and he shifts to get comfortable. With the mention of the woman, Emma looks out the window of her room and sees Regina in intense conversation with Mal Cent, a doctor over at the burn unit. Mal is standing close enough to Regina that Emma tenses. 

"Honestly, kid, I really like her, but sometimes people don't want the same things." Emma starts to scratch at the gauze covering her incision, which had been infected the week before, but Henry swats the hand away. She spots the mischievous glint in his eye, like its revenge for not allowing him to scratch at his wound.

"I think she really likes you too, but you know how women are." He sighs dramatically and shakes his head, and Emma can't contain her chuckle. Just as Emma maneuvers the wheelchair toward the door, Regina rushes in with paperwork in one hand and a plastic bag in the other. 

"So here's the release forms and I brought you some comfy clothes. August said these are your favorites." Regina picks Henry up and off of Emma and drops the plastic bag onto her lap. "Change in the bathroom."

"Bossy." Emma murmurs under her breath cheekily. She pulls the clothes from the bag and smiles at her favorite Marvel t-shirt and black sweatpants. She loves superheroes, even as a child. She'd always hoped that some super mutant would swoop into her foster home and take her away. 

She changes as quickly as she can, considering she can barely move. She thinks about calling Regina for assistance but banishes that thought before it can fully manifest. She wheels out of the restroom and signs the release forms. Henry jumps back onto her lap, his knee bumps into her wound and she winces. 

"Henry! Be careful." Regina chastises and the boy grimaces.

"Sorry, Emma." He places a slobbery kiss on her cheek and he's instantly forgiven. He certainly has her wrapped around his little finger. 

"That's okay, kid. Just be careful. I'm not a robot yet." Regina explained to Henry how Emma got hurt and he took it in stride, comparing her to a comic book character he liked. He said she'd be even stronger when she got her robot leg. Emma is inclined to agree, even if she's apprehensive and has her insecurities about it all.

"Come on, lets go have breakfast." They eat at IHOP and the waitress is very accommodating about the wheelchair, giving them a table where she can slide in comfortably. Henry scarfs down a plate of chocolate chocolate chip pancakes and Regina daintily picks at a crepe with an apple cinnamon compote. Emma, on the other hand, eats like a trucker and orders pancakes, french toast and a hot chocolate with cinnamon, which catches Henry's interest immediately and he begs Regina until she caves and gets him one.

A few people stare at Emma and the fabric hanging loosely from her thigh. The sweatpants aren't filled out like they once were. Regina notices partway through the meal and glares everyone down. It's scary but mostly hot and endearing. Regina then walks around the table and tucks the hanging portion of sweatpants under Emma's thigh so that it doesn't look as strange to others. Henry watches with confusion, like he doesn't understand why Emma needs to look any different. Emma scans her surroundings and catches the gaze of a scruffy guy, but he quickly darts away into the men's bathroom. 

Henry sees the event, leans forward towards Emma, and whispers, "They're staring because you're special and different, and different sometimes makes people uncomfortable. It's dumb, right?"

She thinks about the scar on his chest, pink and puffy, and she replies, "Yeah, kid, it's dumb. Being different is what makes being a human awesome. We're not meant to all be the same. If we were, it'd be kinda boring."

Regina watches them silently, not wanting to interrupt the simple yet powerful conversation, and she's moved when Emma smiles and says, "Besides, who gets to define what's 'normal' anyway? Being unique or different is subjective. The fact that we're different than others doesn't make us any less human. In fact, I'd say it makes us more human. But some people are ignorant and don't get that, but we can't let them bring us down. They can stare all they like, but they can't stop us from being awesome."

Henry smiles as she rubs at his chest absentmindedly and Regina squeezes Emma's thigh under the table in thanks. Regina kept finding Henry in front of his bathroom mirror every morning, tracing his puffy scar. Regina tried to tell him that his scar is his battle wound, a sign that he survived, but the boy is still struggling with the aesthetics of it, especially after a boy at the local pool pointed at him and called him strange. By the time they'd gotten home, Regina had already scheduled a meeting with a pool construction company for her backyard. She'd always wanted a pool anyway. 

The waitress, who was not-so-slyly eavesdropping, sidles up to the table and as she lifts one of Emma's empty plates into her hand, she smiles and says, "You guys are an amazing family."

No one corrects her.


	6. Chapter 6

Regina has a mansion. And no, she is not exaggerating. 

"It belonged to my mother when she was mayor of this city. I was a young child at the time and ended up growing up here for the most part. She grew tired of it though and moved to a larger city to expand her political career so she handed me the keys. I was going to sell it but... my daddy loved it here." Regina explains after Emma whistles at the impressive entryway. Henry really downplayed its expansiveness, Emma finds. 

She's in awe of the grand staircase to the left until she sees it. The seat rests at the bottom of the staircase and a track spans the entire journey to the second floor. She groans, "Is that a stair lift?"

"Emma, I can't carry you up there and you won't be able to walk up and down them until you get your prosthetic. Even then, you'd have to get used to wearing it before you try stairs. So yes, I got you a stair lift and had it installed yesterday." Emma covers her eyes with her palms and groans again. She'd laugh if she wasn't so embarrassed about it. "The woman at Acorn was quite helpful."

"Regina, those things are for, like, eighty year olds!" Emma stomps her foot against the floor, though it's lackluster when she doesn't have that much energy.

"It is not!" Regina huffs. "It's for anyone that needs assistance traveling up stairs. Now quit complaining and get on it. I need to show you to your room."

"Isn't there a room down here? I mean, come on, this place is gigantic!" Emma wheels over to the stair lift and glares at it, as if the heat of her gaze would make it disappear.

"All the bedrooms are upstairs." Regina sighs and widens her eyes, gesturing toward the stair lift. "Please, Emma."

Because Emma is quite taken by the soft look Regina gives her (Henry says she's whipped and she wonders where the hell he's learning this stuff), she allows the lift to shuffle her up the stairs at a snails pace. Regina follows, climbing each step incrementally as Emma moves. It's utterly embarrassing, but she survives somehow. 

The room is next to Regina's, right at the top of the staircase. It's large and quite dull with white walls, dark hardwood, and frames hanging on the walls and sitting on the side tables. The pictures of the models are still in them. Emma picks up one of the frames. 

"I've never had any happy memories to fill them. I have some of my father in my room, but other than that..." Regina trails off while Emma sets the frame back down.

"When I moved here, I came with one box of stuff, which was mostly legal documents and the few outfits I owned." Emma turns away and wheels toward the open doorway that leads to the ensuite. The bath tub is the size of her apartment. "I didn't have any mementos from my childhood or anything. August wasn't shocked by it but it still bothered me that I had nothing, that no one had cared enough to buy me a stuffed bear or something. The only thing I had was a blanket with my name sown on it, and it's not exactly a happy memory considering it's the blanket my parents left me wrapped in on the side of the road."

She feels Regina's presence right behind her and she smiles at the comfort the other woman gives her, a sense of safety, without even touching her. Emma stills and says, "And you have empty picture frames. So the past has kinda sucked for the both of us, but maybe... maybe the future can be better. Maybe we can turn this whole thing around?"

It's silent for a moment and Emma wonders if something she said, if the subtext of her words, caused Regina to freeze. They did, but perhaps not for the reasons Emma was thinking. 

"Yes." The whisper is full of light and positivity, and she wants to turn to see Regina but the brunette leans down and buries her nose in Emma's neck, placing a sweet kiss on the skin there. "Yes, we can turn this around."

Emma shivers as Regina's lips kiss up the pale neck toward a small ear. Regina bites down softly on her earlobe and Emma moans quietly. She can hear Regina's breath and Henry singing along to the theme song of Tangled: The Series, which he says has characters that bares a striking resemblance to them. It's poetically beautiful, so much so that Emma's eyes sting. She wants so bad to be a part of this little unit and it scares her to death because, just like Henry, she's afraid to lose it all.

"I can hear you thinking." Regina says, clearly amused. She tucks Emma's hair behind her ear and blows gently onto the wet skin she left behind. It makes Emma shiver again. 

"Are we dating?" Emma practically yells and Regina jolts back, surprised. 

After a moment, Regina leans back in to cuddle against Emma's shoulder and chuckles under her breath. The sound makes Emma relax a bit. It's melodic but kind, no malice or negativity marring it. Regina's chuckle grows into a full blow laugh as she states humorously, "She asks as I nibble on her ear." 

"Kissing and stuff doesn't mean we're girlfriends. At least I don't think so." Emma pauses and wipes her palms on her sweatpants. "I guess I'd just like to know whats going on. I'm not a fan of not knowing."

Regina rounds the wheelchair and crouches so that her gaze is leveled with Emma's then takes her hand and kisses each knuckle slowly. "I have feelings for you, Emma, and I'd be honored if you'd like to be my girlfriend, even if I think the term is juvenile."

"I prefer lover, honestly." The seriousness of the situation is lifted and Regina smirks.

"Of course you do. You have the mind of a teenage boy." Emma swats at Regina's shoulder and shoves her playfully but Regina grips the armrest of the wheel chair and pulls herself up, kissing Emma gently before returning to a standing position. "Henry wants to show you Cassandra and Rapunzel. I'll let you get settled then I'll call him up so we can watch an episode in here. Sound alright?" 

"Sounds perfect, actually." Regina closes the door when she leaves, departing with a shy wink that Emma finds adorable. In so many ways, Regina has shocked Emma. Before the crash, Regina was flirtatious but cautious. She was aloof with most people, including Emma at times. She wasn't the easiest woman to approach or to even compliment. Sometimes she would find her cheesy pick up line notes returned, under her windshield wiper or in her coat pocket. At the time, it felt like a hurtful rejection and Emma stopped trying until Regina confronted her.

"So, I see you're easily deterred, Swan. How pedestrian." Regina had said. Emma found a challenge in those words and began leaving notes again. Regina stopped returning them and Emma hoped it was because Regina truly enjoyed the notes and didn't want to risk losing them in favor of seeming bored or uninterested. 

Now, though, Regina was softer, more open, and warmer. Beneath the frigid layer on the surface, Regina Mills is quite a softie. Emma finds she's honored to be one of the few given that privilege. 

Emma looks upward and stares at the cream colored ceiling. She whispers, awe in her voice, "Whatever you told her... thank you."

She's not quite sure about the afterlife. She saw a full bodied apparition when she was a child and it could never be explained, not even looking back as an adult. She wasn't religious. She'd prayed to God while in one notably awful foster home and got no help, not until after the foster father had almost beaten her to death. So she's quite unsure about life and what happens after, but she just hopes that wherever Zelena is, if she is anywhere at all, she could hear her sentiment. 

Getting settled consists of Emma shoving her suitcase into the closet, laying it down, and unzipping it. She takes her toothbrush into the ensuite and notices that Regina had toothpaste and mouthwash on the counter by the sink and soap with shampoo and conditioner on the floor by the tub in a small basket lined with yellow rose petals. Of course Regina would remember her favorite color and pick out rose petals to match. Emma drops her toothbrush onto the counter, which would probably earn her a scolding later, before sitting on the edge of the tub. She lifts the leg of her sweatpants so that she can see her bandage and she just studies it for a moment then sighs.

"You're gone. Why can't you just feel gone?" Emma whispers. The phantom limb pains could be excruciating at times but the constant ache or tickling was the most aggravating. She rubs at the stump and hisses when her finger presses on the wound, but doesn't pull back. She moves her fingers away from the stitches and massages the skin around it.

She's supposed to change her bandage but she'd been too preoccupied with staring at Regina's sculpted face to remember to bring the necessary items to actually do the job. "Well that was a smart move."

With some shame coloring her face, Emma pulls out her phone from her pocket and texts Regina to come back. Within the next minute, the door to her room opens and Regina steps in and looks around anxiously.

"In here." Emma says. Regina sees her perched on the tub and sits next to her. Regina's gaze roves over Emma's body, as if checking for injuries, but Emma spots desire in those brown eyes and it makes her feel sexy, which she hasn't felt since the crash.

"Are you alright?" Regina asks quietly. Emma tries to smile disarmingly but it comes across as a grimace, which just makes Regina worry even more.

"I kind of forgot the bandages and all that other stuff at my apartment." Regina sighs, but she's amused, her eyes twinkling with mirth.

"Lucky for you I bought some this morning before picking you up since I figured the hospital wouldn't supply you with much and you might run out quickly." Emma can't help but think that Regina is such a mom. She technically only started raising Henry the week before but it was like an innate talent for the brunette. She thought of everything and was always prepared, especially when it came to protecting and caring. Henry tripped in her hospital room one day and banged his elbow against the side table. He sustained a shallow cut but Regina rushed to his side and had Tangled bandaids, which she had bought online in excitement the day after she told Henry of her plan to adopt him. She hugged him tight as he cried and he soon relaxed under her warm care.

But while it seemed innate, Emma knew that Regina was trying really hard to be better than Cora. It wasn't easy for the Regina who used to live with her guard up and barbed wires around her heart, but she was trying, and, truthfully, that's the most important part of motherhood. Emma truly was in awe of Regina Mills. It was making her fall harder and faster, which was scary as hell for Emma. Normally, she'd run, even if it was just becoming emotionally absent, but it felt different this time. This time she wants to stay and she wants Regina and Henry to want her to stay. 

Regina walks back into the room with her hands full of bandages and ointment and Emma startles because she hadn't realized that the brunette departed in the first place, too absorbed in thought to notice. Regina kneels in front of her and slips off the white sleeve covering the bandages. 

"You seem deep in thought, which is dangerous." Regina jokes, a smile warming her expression and taking away any sting from the teasing. 

"I was just thinking about how amazing you are, especially with Henry." Regina blushes at the compliment and Emma leans forward to place a quick but gentle kiss on her forehead. "I hope you know that I really admire you for stepping up for him."

"It wasn't completely selfless." Regina replies softly as she unravels the old bandages. "I love him very much."

"That's the best part." Emma says. Regina tosses the old bandages away then absentmindedly massages the skin revealed as she stares up at Emma, waiting for her to continue. "You didn't do it out of pity or obligation. You did it out of love."

The words linger. Regina sighs like a weight has been lifted then she grabs the wet hand towel from the counter and starts to gently clean the incision area. Emma hisses with the touches and Regina quietly apologizes each time.

"Did you ever get close to being adopted?" Regina asks tentatively. Emma clearly understands from Regina's tone that she is free to not answer the possibly sensitive question, but Emma finds that she wants to share parts of herself with the other woman.

"Twice." Emma responds, capturing Regina's full attention. "The first home I had was a young couple who thought they couldn't conceive. They were going to adopt me but then, miraculously, they got pregnant and I was no longer of use to them."

There's bitterness in her voice but Emma breaths in and out a few times then continues evenly, "Then, when I was around fifteen, I was fostered by this woman named Ingrid. She was going to adopt me but she turned out to be kind of crazy."

"As in mentally ill?" Regina asks.

Emma nods. "Yeah, mentally ill. I guess I shouldn't say crazy, huh? That's not cool. Anyway, she believed I had magic powers and pushed me in front of a car so I could save myself in order to prove it."

Regina gasps angrily and stutters, "How was that woman allowed to foster?"

"Well, the system is all kinds of fucked up." Emma replies then gestures toward the open doorway where dialogue from Henry's show filters in. "He deserves better and you are definitely better, Regina."

The conversation fizzles out, though the blush on Regina's cheeks doesn't. Regina silently cleans, disinfects, slathers ointment on the incision, and wraps it loosely before gently slipping the white sleeve on once more. 

"Good as new." Regina says and Emma self-deprecatingly thinks that she won't ever be physically well again but quickly banishes the thought. She is whole, no less of a woman than she was before, and she can't let her negative inner voice make her feel like she isn't. 

They call Henry upstairs after Emma relocates to the bed and snuggles under the covers. Regina turns on the TV and switches to a channel where Rapunzel is locking two people in a cell. 

"That's Cassandra! Cassandra is Regina and you're Rapunzel!" Emma sees the resemblance, especially between Regina and Cassandra, and Emma feels slightly embarrassed that she finds the cartoon character attractive too. Regina then sits down next to Emma on the bed, their shoulders brushing, and Emma realizes just how deeply she's fallen. 

"Who's the dude?" Emma asks and Henry wrinkles his nose. He's smiling though so Emma just waits for the kooky response bound to come from the boys mouth.

"He's Eugene and he's dating Rapunzel, but that's okay cause Cassandra and Rapunzel have more chemistry." Henry states seriously as he climbs over Emma's lap to snuggle in between the two women. Regina covers her mouth with her palm but the unladylike snort can still be heard. Emma playfully bumps the other woman's shoulder. Regina's smile widens. 

They watch a few episodes. Emma has to admit that the show is good. She won't admit, though, that she watches some after they go to bed. Emma's watching Cassandra and Rapunzel duel in an arena when she hears a loud whimper filter into her room through the crack at the bottom of her door.

She sits on the edge of the bed and contemplates the wheelchair for a moment but decides to stand unsteadily. She shuffles through the door and down the hall, holding on to the walls to keep herself upright. It's difficult and slightly painful but she pushes and pushes until she's standing in front of Regina's bedroom door. A painful groan comes from behind it and Emma debates her next move.

Regina, despite how much she's opened up, is still fairly private. She doesn't like to appear weak. That has not changed, but perhaps Regina wouldn't mind if Emma was the one to witness her vulnerability. To add to that, Emma wasn't an expert on comforting others. She usually tried to ease tension and smile disarmingly, but she had a sneaky suspicion that her usual tactic wouldn't be effective now.

If it had been anyone else, Emma would've gone back to her room and tried to sleep through the sounds of upset emanating from the other room, but it wasn't just anyone. It was Regina, someone she hoped to have a future with. 

Regina whimpers again, fearful and desperate, and Emma's decision is made. The room is dark but Emma can make out Regina's twisting form and flailing arms. The bed is against the far wall in the enormous room and Emma can't grip the wall to get to her.

"For fucks sake." Emma whispers but slowly lets go of the door frame before launching forward and hopping to the bed. She trips halfway there and lands face first onto the mattress. The jolt is forceful and Regina wakes up with a startled gasp.

Emma buries her face into the silky bed sheets and holds in a groan, from pain, yes, but mostly embarrassment. The lamp light flicker on. There's a pause and then she hears Regina's sleepy but slightly choked up voice ask, "Emma?"

"Yeah?" It's muffled by the mattress. She feels the bed shift then a warm hand on her shoulder.

"What happened?" Emma thinks for a moment, wonders about Regina's reaction to the truth, then pushes up with her arms to get onto one knee. Regina helps her scoot toward the headboard and lean against it. 

"There was a nightmare so I came here." It was the truth, simply left ambiguous enough so that Regina can choose to deflect from herself if need be.

"You heard." Regina states uncomfortably, as if she's admitting defeat somehow. Emma simply nods, but Regina reaches over and laces their fingers. "And you decided to trek all the way over here, sans wheelchair, to check on me?"

Emma nods again and Regina shakes her head. The slight smile pulling at Regina's lips relieves Emma of any worry that this would backfire. Regina directs the smile at Emma and adds, "That was noble and charming but you could've hurt yourself. You do have the tendency of getting injured."

"You were upset. I couldn't just lay in bed and listen when I know I can help." Emma tightens her hold on Regina's hand to emphasize her words. 

They sit there against the headboard, leaning on each other and holding hands, for several silent minutes. Emma begins to wonder whether Regina fell asleep when the brunette whispers, "It's usually about Zelena. In my dream, I stand there and watch as she plummets to the ground and as that piece of plane follows her down. I watch her die. Sometimes I dream about the moment I woke up and you were screaming. It's been happening since the crash but..."

"But you're afraid to ask for help?" Emma suggests.

"Perhaps that's a part of it, but I... I keep my emotions closed off, because it's easier to deal with when I'm disappointed or hurt. So it's difficult to think about going to an office and laying on a couch to spill my secrets, to tell someone things that I'm afraid to even think about. I suppose I'm afraid of saying what's on my mind because then it's real and then I'll have to deal with it." Regina says, her voice soft and quiet. Emma leans in and rests her forehead against Regina's. 

"I get it." Emma sighs. She reaches up and strokes Regina's hair gently then caresses the soft skin of the neck below. "You know you don't have to open up, not until you're ready and comfortable."

Emma fully lays down and when she urges Regina to snuggle into her side, the brunette does so without hesitation. Regina's breathing begins to even out and Emma debates whether to try to sneak back to her room or to stay cuddled up with the woman she cared for deeply. The latter seemed like the more desirable choice but the last thing she wants is to make Regina feel rushed into a situation or uncomfortable in any way. But as Emma begins to get up, Regina tightens her hold and whispers, "Stay."

And who is Emma to deny her such a request?

~|SQ|~

Physical therapy is the worst. It's painful, exhausting and utterly frustrating. They make her tone her thigh muscle since it's doing twice the work now, but Emma feels foolish doing the exercises. She tries to avoid doing any of the stretches and work outs at home but Regina's a drill sergeant about it. The brunette has a schedule for Emma's activities and even has a reminder on her phone in case Emma "forgets" to do them. It makes Emma feel like a child.

"Well perhaps if you did what you're supposed to, I wouldn't have to talk to you as if you're a child." Which is fair, except that Emma won't admit it out loud and especially not to Regina. Of course it's heart warming to know Regina cares so much about her wellbeing but Emma is a lone wolf. She always has been. So the whole situation is strange and slightly irritating. She tells Regina this but the brunette waves a dismissive hand at her and tells her to stretch some more.

The good news is that her prosthetic arrives one morning and Emma is ready to run off into the sunset. The problem is that using the prosthetic is brand new, really, and she can barely stand without wobbling, let alone run. Regina goes back to work a few weeks after the prosthetic comes. She wanted to help Emma adjust to the leg, which had been a grueling process but Emma was getting the hang of it. Today, she departs with a long, tearful goodbye, even though they know she's been itching to slice a chest open. 

Somehow Regina thinks it's a good idea to leave the adult-sized child to watch over the pint-sized child. It leads to countless hours of watching Tangled and ignoring the chores list Regina adamantly told them to do. As Eugene talks to Lance Strongbow on the television, Henry pokes at the metallic section of Emma's prosthetic leg with wonder. 

"Emma, this is so cool." He cries with glee as the metal rod zaps him. "You're like the real life Iron Woman!"

Henry is probably the greatest hype man to ever exist. He makes her feel special, like a literal superhuman, and the best part is that he's not trying to make her feel any type of way. The kid just finds her to be awesome, which in turn makes Emma feel awesome. Regina treats her like she's made of glass and she worries constantly about the healing process. Henry treats her like she's a new member of the Avengers and it's kind of ego boosting. She thinks Regina and Henry make a great tag team. One tends to her and cares deeply while the other makes her feel like a super hero. 

"I doubt I'll be flying anytime soon, kid." Henry pushes up Emma's shorts and stares at the flesh toned socket. 

He wrinkles his nose then says, "You should paint this part."

"You think so?" Emma asks and Henry nods firmly. She grabs the popcorn off of the side table and shoves a hand full into her mouth. "What design would I get though?"

"Regina says you shouldn't talk with your mouth full, Emma." She'd feel more shame at being scolded by a child if the popcorn weren't so deliciously buttery. "And you'd get a robot design! It'd be awesome!"

"I'll think about it." She knows she'll end up with some intricate design on it because she's like puddy in his now buttery hands. 

After watching a few episodes of Spongebob, which will stay a secret between Emma and Henry because Emma would like to live to tomorrow, the two head outside and wander around the giant estate. When they find a tennis court, Emma immediately checks the shed nearby and finds two rusty rackets and a dusty tennis ball. She's stiff with the leg and finds she doesn't have much mobility yet, but she teaches Henry the ground rules, how to swing the racket, and then they attempt to play even though neither can hit it over the net. "Emma, you're not very good at this."

"Well, neither are you, kid!" Emma teases gently as she serves another ball into the net.

"That's cause you taught me!" Henry then serves an ace and Emma drops to her knees and pretends to curse at the gods. It makes him laugh so she doesn't mind looking like a fool.

Later, Emma sets up the bathtub for Henry. She's not sure what seven years old do in the tub but she drops some rubber duckies in there just in case. As he's going about that, Emma gets started on the chores and knocks out the first three when the door opens. Honestly, it's more than Regina should expect from them considering they're completely irresponsible. Henry plays the age card and Emma can only utter "traitor" under her breath as Henry saunters away. 

"We had fun and isn't that what life is all about?" Emma says, smiling dopily and wondering if it's helping or hurting her chances of survival. Regina just chuckles though and Emma wonders if maybe Regina is puddy in her formerly buttery hands.

They days pass this way, calmly and without trouble. Well, not much trouble. Emma slowly starts to use the prosthetic more and more, especially to take walks around the estate. Henry tries to draw designs for her leg socket. He's pretty good at art. September rolls around and Regina enrolled Henry in school. It's hard for them both to say goodbye and watch him climb onto the school bus. He'd been Emma's buddy and a major motivation in her recovery by always encouraging her to move and teach him new things, mostly sports. The first school day gives Emma and Regina some alone time. For most of the morning, they sit on the porch and enjoy the muted sun and nicely chilled air. 

"My lawyer called earlier and it looks like Henry's parents are deceased so the adoption is going forward without a hitch." Regina says, serene as she closes her eyes and smiles at the sun.

"Henry Mills has a real nice ring to it, don't you think?" Emma watches as Regina's smiles relaxes further. She sags into her seat. She was worried that the court system would screw Henry over but they did the right thing. At least they did the right thing for him. Emma exhales slowly, deliberate, worried about the topic of conversation she's about to bring up. "So, my leg is almost completely healed and I'm really getting the hang of my prosthetic."

Regina's head tilts in her direction but her eyes remain shut, the smile on her lips tightening slightly. "Yes."

With a frown, Emma says, "I don't want to overstay my welcome."

The anxiety grows in the pit of her stomach when Regina's lips finally turn down, scrunching her eyebrows, but the brunette reaches out a hand and Emma blindly takes it. The grip is forceful. "You're not."

"I--" Regina's grip on Emma's hand becomes vice-like and its stops Emma in her tracks.

"Stay, Emma." Emma blinks, mostly to fight the tears that suddenly spring forward. 

"Okay." Because it's a request she's always wanted to grant.


	7. Chapter 7

August calls often to slyly tell Emma that her relationship with Regina is moving too fast and that she should come home. Regina overhears him once and now glares every time his name pops up on the caller ID. 

Aside from August, the only other person that calls is Snow Charming, who invites her to dinner at her father's place after several minutes of small talk. Emma agrees. The problem is that Regina seems to have a strained relationship with Snow and David Charming. She never says anything about them but every time their names are mentioned, she shrugs or sneers. 

"Leo White is a disgrace, really." Regina says, like she's discussing the weather. She's washing the dishes and handing the ceramic to Emma to dry. 

"I've never met the guy and maybe you know a different side to him, but he did something really nice for me when I was recovering." Emma's thigh starts to ache so she jumps onto the counter to sit. Regina shoots her a look but Emma stays put and keeps drying the plate in her hands. 

"I'll drive you there." Regina says, a finality to her tone that Emma completely ignores.

"Regina, look at me." Emma points at herself, donning black booty shorts and a red tank top, and Regina appraises her thoroughly. "I've never crossed the tracks, I'll be paying my college debt until I die, and I have no idea how to eat other than to slurp and shovel it in. I need your help with this!"

Because Regina is a push over and falls for the helpless puppy dog act every time, they're standing in Leo White's immaculate entryway a week later. The drive was long, a whopping six hour drive to upstate New York, where Leo's mansion stood foreboding, from Storybrooke. Snow Charming takes Regina's purse and hands it to a butler. Emma itches to take back her wallet from inside the bag. Old habits and astronomical levels of mistrust die hard. Regina is uncomfortable, noticeably so, and it makes Emma nervous. 

"So, uh, nice place." Emma stutters, looking jittery and out of place. Her dress came from the back of Regina's closet, the clothes that Regina doesn't fit into anymore since she gained some curves. So at least she looks presentable, but she's still very much a fish out of water here.

"Thank you." Snow smiles as she leads them through the house and into an empty but prepared and set dining room. "It was built in the late eighteen hundreds and has been in our family for generations."

"How lovely." Regina acerbically grumbles. Snow doesn't even bat an eyelash before she's gesturing at the table and going on and on about how old the cutlery and fine china are. It honestly makes Emma wants to bend a fork and smash a plate. 

Snow acts entitled and pushy as she gives them the longest house tour Emma's every experienced. It's like there's two different sides to Snow. Emma can't decide whether putting up with this spoiled and overbearing side is worth the friendship she could have with the caring and sweet side.

"Didn't you say something about loving horses and their manes, Emma?" Snow asks, mostly rhetorically, as she leads the two women out to the stables.

"Uh, I said I like Lo Mein from Fa Mulan's." Emma's comment is completely ignored but it makes Regina smirk so at least there's that. Emma playfully elbows Regina, making the woman chuckle under her breath, then softly drapes her index finger around Regina's pinky. Snow remains oblivious, continuing to give them too much information about her prized horses as they enter the stables.

Emma crinkles her nose at the unfamiliar stench emanating from the stalls. "Even August smells better."

Regina glares at the name but her lips pull into a smile anyway, mostly because the joke pokes fun at the man. Emma's feels dazed as Snow continues to boast. She's never been around a horse in person, only in magazines or television shows. Regina seems at home so she tries to pretend to enjoy the mini tour of the stables. She probably fails, especially since she can't relax her face from its scrunched up expression.

"Let me introduce you to one of our hardest working grooms men here. He's been with us for decades now." Snow peeks into a room off the furthest stall, smiles, and gestures to whoever is inside to come out. Regina sighs, looking bored and over this entire night already, but her demeanor shifts when as the grooms man trails behind Snow. He's tall, brown hair that's shaggy and wild, and he's looking at Regina like he's seen a ghost. Regina looks just as shell shocked and her eyes are glassy, emotion pouring out of her in droves. 

"Daniel?" Regina whispers, her voice filled with awe and adoration. Emma's heart drops.

~|SQ|~

The last thing either of them expected was to see Regina's former lover and fiancé working in Leo White's stables, looking older with salt and pepper hair but still fit and lean just like Regina remembered. The worst part was that Snow didn't seem surprised by the reunion.

"You knew, didn't you?" Emma whispers as Regina and Daniel embrace and catch up on lost years, angry and saddened beyond belief. 

"Cora told us she needed Daniel gone from Storybrooke and my father offered to help Daniel with employment." Snow sighs. "I knew he was engaged to Regina but I figured they had a nasty parting and he wanted to get away from her. Only last year did Daniel disclose that he had left Regina because my father's job offer was too good to pass up. I suspected Cora was the mastermind and my father was just trying to help the poor boy." At that Emma laughs agitatedly. Leo White was no selfless saint, not from what Regina had told her. This whole plan had been set in motion by Cora but Leo knew and helped. 

"Did you use me to reunite them?" Emma stutters as she paces the grass right outside the stables. "Did you invite me here for this, to get Regina here?"

"Not just for that!" Snow says exasperatedly, like Emma just doesn't get it, which she doesn't. So many years that Daniel has worked for the White family and only now that Emma found home with Regina does Snow decide to complicate everything. Only when Emma has so much to lose does Snow decide to play Savior and throw a monkey wrench into the mix. 

Emma feels like she's going to punch Snow so she takes the highest road she can at the moment and just turns and runs back to the house, because fuck this. The least she can get out of tonight is some damn good, fancy food. The servants take immediate pity on her when she runs into the dining room looking disheveled and close to tears and drag her into the serving room where they stuff her with cocktail shrimp and buttered lobster. 

"Poor dear." Emma overhears one of the chefs whisper to one of the maids. The maid nods then throws Emma a saddened glance. Emma hates it, because she knows she's going to be left behind again. Daniel was Regina's first love and heart break. He was the person she planned to spend the rest of her life with. Emma was just a hot doctor from the hospital where Regina worked. She's a flirty blonde with a sad childhood story and an amputated limb. What a package, Emma thinks self-deprecatingly. 

Regina strides into the room not long after Emma scarfs down her second lobster tail and tells her it's time to go. So dinner is basically cancelled and Leopold never shows his face, which makes Emma wonder if the man was present at the estate that night or even aware that this whole night went down. Snow keeps sending apologetic glances Emma's way, each ignored as Regina shuffles them out of the mansion. 

"Thank you for inviting us, Snow, but we should head home. Henry's babysitter called." Grace hadn't called at all but Emma just shrugs in acquiesce, feeling like her safe space has imploded and crushed her under the disappointment. The awkward silence that falls over the foyer isn't even the worst part of the night. The silence during the car ride home takes that cake.

Regina's driving them, her knuckles white as she grips the steering wheel tightly, and Emma stares at the air vent, knowing that she can blame that for her wet eyes if Regina cared to ask. At times, she can feel the other woman's gaze on her but she refuses to meet it for fear that she'll break down before she's face down on her bed (if that bed will still be hers). August was right. They moved too fast. They didn't really know each other. Emma grips the door handle, wishing she could pull it and duck out of the moving Mercedes. 

They're silent for three hours, until they enter Storybrooke.

"Emma--" Regina starts, only to be met with Emma's palm hovering in the space between them in a silent plea for her to stop. 

"I just want to pretend for a minute." Emma lowers the palm from between them and rubs at her chest. "I want to pretend we went to an awkward dinner where we shared looks, made fun of the White family, and where we couldn't wait for the night to be over so that we could lay in your bed and cuddle while we laugh at all the entitled shit we had to endure. I know that this changes things. I'm not stupid, even if people seem to think I am."

Regina inhales sharply, the sound wet, and Emma knows Regina feels the weight of tonight's revelation heavy on her heart. The brunette is emotional, tired by the looks of things, and Emma wants to run. She wants to run now. So she says, "Actually, can you pull over at the corner. Augusts' apartment is a few blocks away from here."

Regina huffs, "Don't be a child. That isn't necessary. Just come home."

"Is it still my home?" Emma asks, her heart breaking as Regina's face falls. The brunette tries to reach over and Emma shifts away. The silence feels like an answer. Regina slowing down and pulling to the curb feels like a blow to the gut. 

"It's your home no matter what." Regina says softly, apologetic enough to make Emma cringe. "I just need time to think."

Regina tries to reach out again. Emma's too shocked by what's happening to pull away and Regina's warm, sweaty hand closes around Emma's fisted one. Regina squeezes her hand then says, "Please don't think I'm choosing him. I'm not."

"Not yet." Emma replies defiantly, her posture is too defeated to match. 

With that, Emma throws open the car door and limps away. She should've known tonight would go sideways somehow. She definitely shouldn't have worn the cosmetic leg. It's not really ideal for walking long distances, cause of course Emma lied about Augusts' apartment. He lives across town. Emma also forgot her wallet in the Mercedes so calling an Uber is out of the question. So she walks all 4 miles to the west side of town, where the LGBTQ community and August call home. Some drag queens offer her a ride but she's too angry and stubborn and she sort of wants to inflict pain on herself (her wound is still pink so standing for long periods of time can ache). 

August is waiting for her on his doorstep and he immediately takes her into his arms and sweeps her inside. She sits on the couch and he hands he a beer before she can even get comfy. The Golden Girls is playing on the TV. If she wasn't feeling so crappy, she might needle him about it.

"You were right." She whispers over Bette White's soothing voice as she curls inward, crossing her arms and lifting her legs to place her forehead against her pointy knee.

August sighs, pushes himself off the wall by the TV to sit next to Emma, and says, "I was wrong." 

Emma starts to shake her head but August pulls her arm from its position and holds onto it with vigor as he continues. "I was wrong. I know I've been a pain about this but I get it, I think." He exhales and scratches his beard. "We almost died six months ago. We literally fell out of the sky, smashed into the earth, and came away with our lives. Not everyone on that plane was so lucky. How fucked up is that? You're missing a limb and I've gotten permanent nerve damage that's probably ruined my career as a surgeon, but we are in fact the lucky ones."

"Zelena and Belle would probably do anything to be in our positions." Emma whispers. August nods and sets his beer on the table, missing the coaster that's laying not too far away. 

"But that's the thing, Emma. We're alive. There's a chance we could've died. So you took a chance on lust or attraction or love or whatever you want to label it." August scoots closer and takes both of Emma's trembling hands in his. "Maybe to others it seems fast that you moved in with Regina after a few weeks but you know what's truly fast? Life. It goes by without us even noticing. We blink and we've aged twenty years. We close our eyes for a second and when we open them our plane is falling out of the sky. So you chose to live. You tried something. Even if you get burned, at least you're alive and you tried. It's better than... than moping around, drinking beer, watching marathons of The Golden Girls, and wishing that your foster sister gets sad and comes home so you're not lonely."

He was always very good at pep-talks, even as a teenager. He used to make her feel safe when the senior boys tried to start shit with her. After they'd thrown her against a locker and fractured her rib, August made it his mission to walk Emma to and from every class, even if they weren't in the same one. Then, when they'd get home, he'd cheer her up with a little speech and some video games. Except they aren't teenagers and this isn't about bullies. The loss is bigger this time. 

"I think I'm gonna get burned." Emma mumbles. She picks at the broken leather on her belt. She'd worn pants to cover her leg.

"Then we'll break out the aloe and get you moving forward again." August lifts their joined hands to kiss at Emma's knuckles. "I love you, sis."

"I love you too." Emma smiles weakly. "Even if you watched The Golden Girls without me."

~|SQ|~

August periodically picks up clothing at Regina's place and brings it to the apartment. It's been a week since the Snow White and Daniel incident and Emma has texted Regina a few times, only to get one word answers. 

"She's just processing stuff, Emma. Put yourself in her shoes." August throws a duffel full of Emma's casual clothing onto the bed, right next to the blonde who's sprawled across it. "Give her some time. Let her figure shit out."

The problem is that figuring things out will probably lead to Emma being shoved out of the mansion like an unwanted pest. The more time that passes, the more doom is impending. Emma groans into the mattress, "I know."

She truly does understand that seeing Daniel was a shock for Regina. She hadn't seen him in so long, not since he walked out without much explanation years ago. Emma gets it and she wants to be able to accept it, but she's scared and fear makes her illogical and grumpy. August just quirks a skeptical brow then walks out of her bedroom, leaving Emma to sulk the rest of the night away.

The remaining week goes about in the same manner. August collects clothes, Emma stress eats, and they pretend Emma isn't about to fall apart. She does, however, quit texting Regina. The brunette doesn't initiate contact. Snow texts her to let her know that Daniel and Regina have gotten together several times at Leo's mansion. Meaning that Regina drove hours just to see him but couldn't lift a finger to text her, which was adding to the anxiety of it all. All signs were pointing to getting burned and Emma just isn't ready. She honestly should've known that she couldn't get to be that happy. The universe didn't work like that for her. So, Emma turns on her read receipts for texts only to promptly click on then ignore everything Snow sends, including several apologies. It's petty. She finds she doesn't care.

"Chief keeps sniffing around and asking about your recovery." August mentions one afternoon after coming home from his doctors appointment. A surgeon at a nearby hospital thinks he can salvage Augusts' hand and get him back in the OR again. "I think he's gonna call you soon and see when you want to go back or if you want to go back. Do you?"

Emma pours soup from a can into a pot on the stove. "Work would be a nice distraction right about now." 

"Think you're up for it? You know Gold wants you to pass a Psych evaluation." August questions, knowing full well that Emma is easily triggered into a catatonic state by even the scent of something burning, but Emma just nods as she stirs the soup. 

They're grimacing their way through salty chicken noodle soup when Gold calls. Ruby mentioned on a phone call that Emma's replacement was mediocre, at best, and that Gold was at the point of pulling his long, wavy hair out, so it's no surprise that he's actually nice for once and asks her to please return to the hospital as soon as she feels fit to do so. He basically orgasms when Emma tells him she's ready to start now.

"You'll need to pass a Psych evaluation." He says, his tone concerned. She rolls her eyes at that, knowing he isn't necessarily concerned about her but about his hospitals reputation if her replacement gets to screw up with some more patients. Apparently his bed side manner has left many mothers uncomfortable and the kids call him a monster. Gold is very much concerned for himself.

"Set up an appointment with Archie tomorrow morning at 9 am." Emma demands. She's taking way too much pleasure in the fact that Gold is basically begging her to come back. Of course she's milking it, but the man is an utter pain in the ass. She deserves to be smug. 

Archie is a pushover, especially when Emma puts on the waterworks and tells him she needs her job back in order to heal. He falls for it, unsurprisingly, and he signs the reinstatement papers without a peep, to the delight of Emma and Chief Gold. He does, however, plead her to keep up appointments with him and, while Emma loathes showing emotion to a shrink, she's going to reserve every Friday afternoon to therapy because she knows she needs it. She's still easily triggered by the scent of burning charcoal and her nightmares rival Regina's. 

By noon, though, Emma's throwing on a lab coat and smoothing down her scrubs so that her leg is covered as much as possible. She's still slightly afraid for others to see it, mostly because she'd resent the pity they'd likely feel for her. Though she's coming to terms with the limb, especially with the help of a certain seven year old, Emma still has insecurities surrounding it and she goes the extra mile once in a while to conceal the leg. She hopes she'll be able to move past it with time.

"Alright." Emma whispers in the empty locker room. "Let's do this."

She gets through her first three check ups without a hitch. All of the parents are ecstatic and very relieved to see her and the children show nothing but extreme enthusiasm. It boosts her mood and she feels vindicated. Yes, she lost her leg in a terrible accident, but she wouldn't be defined by that and she wouldn't lose the chance to live her dream, which now solely consists of work.

Her bright mood is decimated when Snow's desperate high pitched voice calls out to her from down the corridor. "Emma!"

Emma tries to walk faster but Snow manages to gain ground on her so she hops into an open elevator and smashes the button to close the doors. She takes immense satisfaction in watching the doors close right in Snow's shocked face. She's not ready to talk to Snow, that much she's made clear, but Snow keeps trying so hard and Emma does feel guilty about evading. She also hates that she feels guilty, because Snow betrayed her. Snow took away her chance with Regina and Henry, her chance to have a family with them. She needed time to think and to cool down, and Snow isn't giving that to her. She's suffocating Emma with texts and calls and now work is a game of cat and mouse with her. 

Emma groans as she sags against the elevator wall. She stares at her reflection on the elevator door, the metallic surface distorting her features slightly. "I should've kept my distance."

She's not sure if she's talking about Snow or Regina. Perhaps both, she thinks. The elevator pings and the doors slide open to reveal the subject of her thoughts. Both of them.

"She closed the elevator in my-- Emma!" Snow looks startled and Regina looks like she's ready to run, which is Emma's agenda but to each their own. It's then that Emma realizes she's been trapped in thought for a solid twenty minutes, with people probably cruising in and out without notice. She tries to strut past them but Regina's hand wraps around her forearm and drags her back into the elevator then slams her finger on the lower left button, effectively shutting Snow out. 

"We should talk." Regina whispers after a long moment of uncomfortable silence. Emma cringes.

"There's really nothing to talk about, Regina." Emma replies, calmly pressing on the button for the pediatric floor. Regina looks affronted and Emma quirks a brow, challenging the brunette to dispute what she believes is already happening. Regina will choose Daniel, because he's just more than Emma could dream of being for Regina. 

"Emma, seeing Daniel and learning what my mother did was a shock. I needed to process things. I needed to figure everything out." Regina leans her body against the wall and runs a hand through her hair. It's curly today, wild and untamed and absolutely gorgeous. "I've missed you."

Emma scoffs, "Oh yeah? Is that why you ignored every single text I sent?"

The elevator pings in the silence and Regina smacks the panel next to her to stop the influx of passengers that were sure to interrupt their conversation. Regina pauses, her hand roving over the Braille on the cool metallic, then she straightens and looks at Emma. Her eyes are stormy but there's an absence of anger. 

"I'm sorry." Regina says. She takes a step toward Emma, who doesn't flinch away because she craves Regina, even if she hates that she does at the moment. "I should've answered you. I just... I needed time to think about my past and my mother." Regina's eyes slip close. "But I know what I want now. I'm sure."

Before Regina can continue, Emma closes the distance between them and takes her hand. "You should be with him if that's what you want."

Seeing Regina look so despondent made Emma realize something important. If she truly loved Regina, then she had to want what's best for her, even if that didn't include Emma. She'd been selfish, maybe rightfully afraid to lose the closest thing to a happily ever after she's ever gotten to touch, but she loved Regina and wanted Regina to be happy, no matter what. 

"Emma--" Regina says, her voice is heavy and winded. 

"I hope I'll still get to see you and hang out because I like you. You're a pretty cool chick, you know? I'd still want to teach Henry how to shoot hoops too and maybe I could watch him if you go out one night or something." Emma says, the words rattling out quickly until she's out of breath. She's about to ramble some more when Regina slings her hand over Emma's mouth with a confused chuckle.

"Emma, I want you. I choose you." The words make Emma's knees buckle so she wraps an arm around Regina's back and the brunette is quick to sag against her. They both smile as Regina cups Emma's face. "I love you."

"Wow." Emma whispers and Regina laughs, lightly but full of relief and joy. Emma leans her forehead against Regina's. "I love you too, in like a really scary but awesome way. I really do, Regina. I just... are you sure?"

"Positive." Regina smiles then barks out a laugh, "I'm glad this worked out because there's a little boy that's been missing you fiercely and he'd never forgive me if I lost you." She rubs her thumbs across Emma's pink cheeks. "Come home, Emma."

Emma nods, without hesitation, and Regina closes the distant to seal the sentiment with a soft kiss that's so loaded with emotion that Emma could cry. Regina actually does. Her tears slide down to where their cheeks are pressed together and Emma pulls back to wipe them away. 

"I'm so sorry." Regina whispers as she presses her lips against Emma's cheek. The blonde responds with a loving squeeze to Regina's hip. 

~|SQ|~

The family had fallen into a stable routine after their reconciliation weeks prior. Emma had moved back into the mansion, this time settling into the master bedroom where Regina had made space for her. Henry seems happier now, more relaxed. He doesn't have as many nightmares since the adoption was finalized, but they still happen and Regina soothes him with hugs and validation after every one.

The biggest development is that Emma got Regina to agree to go to therapy after not-so-subtle hints. The brunette hated being so vulnerable but she begrudgingly admitted that Archie was helping her not only with the accident but with things from long ago and she felt lighter after some time. Her nightmares still raged on but Archie told them not to worry, that therapy wasn't a quick fix and would take time. Regina even pondered sending Henry for a session but the boy shook his head at the request and Regina is trying to respect that. 

Emma's physical therapy eventually turned into workouts at the gym after her physical therapist gave her the okay. She's working on toning and strengthening her body. Regina says she's coming along quite nicely. As for the non-physical therapy, Archie is ready to tear his flaming red hair out with her. She's difficult and she knows it. Her walls could rival China's but Archie, the poor soul, tried to explain that walls weren't a bad thing necessarily but that in order to move forward and progress in therapy, she should try to be more open with him. She truly does try, but being closed off is so innate with her that she doesn't even notice she's doing it. She's not giving up though and that's half the battle. 

"You're thinking, which is never a good thing." Regina teases from her spot on the couch, her hand rubbing soothing circles on Emma's newly painted leg socket. The mechanical design does look cool and the fact that Henry drew it makes it all the more special to her. 

"My life was so different a year ago." Emma muses absentmindedly. Her head falls back and to the side to stare at Regina, who's biting her lip in that really distracting way. 

"As was mine, darling." Regina's eyes flicker toward the end table next to the couch where a frame sits. When Emma moved back, her first major project was to fill every single frame in the house with a good memory. The blonde started having little parties and inviting all of their friends and taking snapshots every time. She even took them to a photography studio to have professional family photos. Those had been enlarged and hung in the foyer. It was her favorite, so much so that she tended to sit on the small steps when no one was around and just stare at it, at their smiles and mirthful eyes. The one on the end table in the study was of Zelena in her scrubs, make up free, laughing. She liked that one too. 

"You think we would've gotten here no matter what?" Regina's lip plops back into place as Regina smiles at Emma's question. 

"I think so." Regina responds. "It may have taken us a bit longer but we were on the precipice of being more long before the accident." 

"Yeah." Emma smiles softly, affectionately, as she reaches over and takes Regina's hand. Regina leans forward to plant a sensual kiss and Emma responds immediately, bringing her arms around the brunette and mussing Regina's hair with her fingers. Regina pulls back then buries her face in the crook of Emma's neck.

"We should go to our room." Regina whispers. Her voice is heavy with an insinuation and Emma feels her panties dampen. They'd never crossed that milestone. Between their recoveries and Daniel's surprise appearance, they didn't get much time alone, especially since Henry was such a lively boy. 

They silently trek to their bedroom, careful not to wake Henry, and fall onto the bed after tumbling through the dark room. They fumble, hands roaming aimlessly and removing articles of clothing with a passionate fluidity. Emma shyly reaches down but a hand stops her descent.

"Let me." Regina whispers lovingly then tugs gently on the leg socket. It slips off and Regina places the prosthetic on the chaise lounge in the corner. Emma's residual limb has healed completely and Regina feels a flush of appreciation. They're alive. They're able to move forward and heal.

Emma's nude form slides backward until she's resting against the headboard. Her eyes track Regina's smooth movements with bright-eyed attention. She tries to memorize the curves and planes of Regina's gorgeous body, the small but pert breasts, the flat abdomen with a feminine slope to jutting hip bones and neatly trimmed hair between them. Regina's tan, long legs slowly, teasingly, bring her closer to Emma. Her hips sway, sensuality pouring out of her, as she slinks onto the bed. Regina's brown eyes are narrowed slightly, taking Emma in and making Emma feel desired, sexy, and wanted. 

"Come here." Emma says, her voice a whisper in the dark room. Regina complies and straddles Emma's lap, her wetness leaving a streak on the blondes thigh. 

"Is this okay?" Regina asks, worried that her weight was too much, but Emma just tugs her closer and kisses her, softly at first but turns passionate and hard when Emma's hand squeezes Regina's breast then tugs on a erect nipple. Regina's moans are deep but quiet, released under her breath to avoid waking Henry. 

They trace over each other's bodies several times, memorizing the imperfections, curves, and spots that make toes curl. The exploration makes them ready for more. Regina's slickness is heady and Emma is intoxicated by the combination of Regina's arousal and her apple scented perfume. 

As Emma's tongue traces up and down the tendon on Regina's neck, her fingers descend to the wiry hair between Regina's legs. She scratches playfully there and leans back to watch Regina hold in a chuckle. The chuckle quickly becomes a moan when Emma's fingers drop lower to slowly rub Regina's pulsing clit. 

"Don't be a tease, Miss Swan." Regina mutters under her breath as her hips begin to undulate against the rhythmic movements of Emma's fingers.

"Me? A tease?" Emma punctuates each word with a hard circle around Regina's sensitive clit. "Never."

"I will destroy you." Regina manages a chuckle. It's deep, full of arousal and excitement. It makes Emma's heart race. 

"I look forward to it." Emma says as she scoots down until her face is confronted with Regina's pussy. She reaches up and friskily squeezes Regina's sensitive breast then childishly tugs on her ear. Regina just digs her fingers into Emma's hair and grabs tight. Regina's light whimper catapults Emma into action and as her tongue sweeps through pungent wetness with determination, making Regina jolt forward and grab onto the wooden headboard for support. Emma continues to bring Regina closer and closer to the precipice. Once Regina's hips start moving with extreme urgency, Emma latches on to Regina's clit and sucks, intermixing the sharpness with hard swipes of her tongue. 

"Oh god." Regina's knuckles turn white as her grip on the headboard tightens with each passing second. "Almost there."

Seconds later, Regina slumps against the headboard, her body convulsing and her moans jerky. Emma pleasures her through the orgasm until Regina pulls away, too sensitive for more. Regina lowers so that she's level with Emma again and places a sweet kiss to Emma's still wet lips.

"Your turn." Regina whispers against Emma's mouth. The blonde lets out a shuttering groan. Pleasuring Regina and watching her love come had gotten her fairly ready for what was coming. 

Regina's fingers wade through Emma's slit and Emma almost comes on the spot, but Regina pulls back and slithers down until she's laying between Emma's legs. All movement stops for a moment and Emma sees Regina staring at her residual limb with a smile on her lips. 

"Regina?" Emma implores gently, worried that her lover was going through something emotional. Regina leans down and kisses the smooth scar on Emma's residual limb.

"I look at you and feel so overwhelmed by so many emotions, Emma, but when I look at your limb and your scar, I realize how close I was to never experiencing this love, how close I was to losing you." Regina places another soft kiss to the thigh below her lips. "As insane as this sounds, seeing your scar reminds me that we're okay. It's a privilege to be alive, especially when I have Henry and you."

Emma feels her eyes burn and she fights to keep the tears in. Regina breaks the emotional moment and plunges two fingers into Emma's molten heat. She begins thrusting immediately, hard and fast. Emma's back arches and her hips meet each thrust of Regina's fingers enthusiastically. It doesn't take long before Emma comes, so hard that she feels boneless after she recovers.

Emma lays still as Regina crawls back up and wraps her arms around her. As she stares at the top of Regina's head, studying the brown wisps of hair and the occasion grey strand dispersed within.

Emma's inclined to agree that life is a great privilege. She's ready to live it.

~|SQ|~

A house is a building. It has walls, a ceiling, maybe it's built from brick, drywall, or concrete. A home is what's inside the structure. It's the laughter, the love, the lives, the freedom to be who you are. A home is something that had escaped Emma for so long. She thought she'd never find one, but she did. She found it with a cardio surgeon that dreams of darkness and death but has a kind heart and caring soul beneath the rugged yet gorgeous exterior. She found it with a boy that's afraid of being left behind or forgotten and has quite a few scars, mentally and physically, but he's pure of heart and a true believer in the goodness of humanity despite it all. And Emma? She's a little bent, never broken. She's one-fifth robot by Henry's calculations. But most importantly, she's an orphan that found a family, a home. 

Her family, the one she found all on her own, is small, maybe a little broken, kind of dark and twisty, in need of serious therapy, but it's good. 

It's very good.


End file.
